Corruption of Destruction
by VSPS
Summary: Abandoned, so she ran. Caught and now corrupted. Thrust deep into a world she should have kept far away from. The destruction of a mind is a beautiful thing.
1. Chapter 1

**Corruption of Destruction**

Summary: Abandoned, so she ran. Caught and now corrupted. Thrust deep into a world she should have kept far away from. The destruction of a mind is a beautiful thing.

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

CoD was going to be posted a while later, but someone (LucyLu74) and we're not naming names, was a bit too excited, she's our Kickass beta for this fic and thanks to becky03 for prereading, you make us feel happy.

This story is RATED M for graphic violence, rape, dismemberment, severe language and sexual situations that may or may not be what you perceive as normal. There will be descriptive torture, violent events, situations and alike. This is a darker FF that will deal with all of these things separately and at times together, it will be angst and horror filled. Please take into account this is a warning for several chapters to come and a warning will be given on said chapters as we arrive to them. If these subjects and issues bother you, we suggest you not continue to read. We will not apologize, nor will we explain our writing styles or the choices we make in this story. To avoid issue and conflict for us as the authors and you as the readers, if what is suggested in the disclaimer bothers you at all, again, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND you DO NOT continue to read.

**NO UNDER 18's ALLOWED! THE STORY IS RATED M BECAUSE IT DEALS WITH MATURE ADULT CONTENT!**

Authors' Note: Corruption of Destruction is collaboration between duskri123 and VSPS.

_**This was originally posted to duskri123's profile (the first three chapters) but was put on hiatus for some time. Duskri123 is co-author on the first three chapters, and post that, she has agreed to stick around to be a pre-reader.**_

_**If you read the first three chapters on her profile, you can skip directly to chapter 4 as they are the same, if you did not… well finish the disclaimer and then enjoy.**_

It will take a while before Jasper and Bella come together. Things need to happen that splits loyalties and families. Please note this is a J/B fic and the pairing will stick, it's just going to take a while in to get there.

duskri123: Hey guys! I'm duskri123 or Kriss. I hope you enjoy the story. Please do take notice of the disclaimer. We understand that not everyone can handle the things we will be bringing forth into this story so just take into account that you have been warned. If you don't mind the darker sides of the story then I hope to see you following along. Again, enjoy and let us know what you think.

VSPS: Hello folks, I'm Vickie (not a red head) but a Vickie anyway… as Kriss said above, this fic may not be for everyone. It's dark, and I mean really dark. I have no issues if you don't like our fic, don't flame me for it. If you don't like it, stop reading. I love you folks, but I'm not gonna sit up late at night trying to make everyone happy. Other than that, welcome to our lair…. Brewhahahaha….

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Bienvenido al maestro de las marionetas.

_Welcome to the puppet master. _

**APOV**

The vision hit again, just fractions of a millisecond too late for it to make a difference. Edward had seen it this time, though the first time I had been lucky enough that Edward was preoccupied with his human somewhere in Forks. I watched his eyes widen as the blood pooled on her finger and Jasper's hard, deep intake of air let me know it was going as planned.

I feigned shock, and kept the forefront of my thoughts focused on the panic I should have been feeling about the situation. That was the key to keeping Edward occupied with what I wanted him to know and keeping him away from information he didn't need to know. He was easy to manipulate, easy to trick and easy as hell for me to connive into doing anything I wanted him to. So long as he could 'see' the truth in my mind, Edward believed anything I wanted him to.

Again, the forefront of my thoughts were focusing on me berating myself for not seeing this happen earlier; for choosing a paper material that was too tough and likely to cause this. I chastised myself again and again for not watching Jasper enough, for not making him hunt more.

That's the great thing about a vampire's brain; it has such great capacity and the ranges we can go multiplies with a huge magnitude. Our thoughts can go in fifty different directions and all those directions can be about fifty different things.

Edward, the mind reading know it all, who assumes he knows everything about all of us can only read our frontal thoughts, the things that we keep running at the front of our mind. His gift is fallible and I use that to my advantage the best way I know how.

So as I watch Jasper take the lunge at Edward's human, I hold back the internal and external smirk while keeping my first thoughts focused on catching Jasper and calming him down.

In reality, I want him to get the human. I want him to get a hold of her, snap her fragile neck and drink her dry to get her out of my way. She was fun for a while; even bringing her in on the secret of what we really were was fine. It was amusing to me, she was a toy for me to play with and it was an even bigger amusement for me to play around with Edward's feelings and actions towards her.

It was nothing for me to fabricate a vision in my mind and show Edward what I had seen. Of course, I knew she was his singer, I had gotten that vision the moment the stupid girl had chosen to move to Forks. Again, I had been lucky enough that Edward was preoccupied with hunting and I was far enough away that he hadn't seen that vision. Had he have known Bella was his singer, Edward would have ran. He fancies himself a monster, yet instead of embracing that, he would have run.

I couldn't allow that and I took the chance that he would take her life though I had seen the conflicting visions over and over again. It was worth the risk to me, the human meant nothing to my life, just a couple of years of something different and something to amuse me.

"Jasper, calm down," I whispered to him, though his black eyes and the permanent snarl told me he was too far gone in his own blood lust to even care or take notice.

That was the point? I'd kept him from hunting for the last week to make sure he would be thirsty enough for this.

Again, my first thoughts were of Bella and keeping her from being harmed while calming Jasper and getting him from the house when my deeper thoughts revolved around the happiness and excitement I was deriving from this situation.

It could end three ways.

One, Jasper got her and it would be end of story.

Two, one of the other Cullen members lost control of their bloodlust and got to her once again becoming end of story.

The third option was the one I hoped would least happen, but it was the most likely. Jasper would be calmed because there was only so much I could do before it looked suspicious on me, and the human would live. Though, even with that situation, it still left me open with opportunities to get her out of our existences for good.

Jasper twisted to the side, rounding about Emmett's left side before he charged at Edward. A vision flickered quickly through my mind and I knew the first two options were shot in that moment as Jasper made his choices.

_Broken glass, blood, shock, hungry eyes, snarls, Jasper restrained. Leaving the house, too far to scent, stitches in skin, sobbing Jasper. _

'No this isn't right,' I growled in my mind. Edward's eyes shot to mine, so quickly no one would have noticed before his next actions happened. I realized my mistake and fixed it quickly. 'No, this isn't right Jasper, this is my fault! I should have been watching more carefully. This isn't right!'

Edward pushed his palm into the human's chest, slamming her back hard into the glass plates that I had so strategically placed for this purpose. Once she fell to the ground, it would cause another catacomb of effects, leaving a large gash on her arm and that would draw in all the vampires in the room.

There was no way I was going to lose my control here, it wouldn't allow me to manipulate the situation later.

I grabbed tight to Jasper's face, already knowing the girl was falling and had started to cut herself on the glass.

"Jazzy, calm down, it's just a little blood..." I let the sentence trail off and all my air was gone. I knew Bella had sweet smelling blood, better than most humans but she smelled excellent.

Jasper snarled at me again and Emmett tightened his grip around Jasper's chest. I turned my head slightly; just enough to see Edward crouched over Bella who was wide eyed and shaking in fear. The scent of fear only added to the situation and I couldn't help but be happy about that. I didn't need to do anything, Bella was writing her own death warrant.

Everything switched gears again, making my under lying emotions switch to anger and disbelief as Carlisle ordered us out of the house.

"Get Jasper out of here and far enough away from the house that he won't be tempted enough to come back," he barked.

Again, loud snarls erupted from Jasper, making Edward growl deep in response. I grimaced at the vision of the two men fighting against each other as it passed through my mind. It wouldn't end well for Edward and the ending result for the family would be that it would only split loyalties.

I shot Edward an apologetic look as he read the vision in my thoughts. Edward refused to come out of his protective stance, but he stopped the warning growl to keep Jasper sedated. Instincts pushed Jasper, and if he felt the least amount threatened, he didn't hesitate to attack.

Emmett kept his hold on Jasper, pulling him out of the house and farther away from the bleeding human. I had hoped we wouldn't have enough time to react before Jasper got a hold of Bella, but he had managed to keep some sort of control in his mind. It didn't matter either way, I could still manipulate this situation to my liking. I could still get the human out of our lives and make it seem like it was someone else's fault, other than my own.

The Cullens had depended on me and my visions for far too long. I'm the one they come to for confirmation, retribution, and guidance. Never once, do they question me or press me for answers more than what I give them. They take my word as my loyalty without a second thought.

That was their biggest mistake.

You see, I like the best of the best of everything and anything I can have. I want big, and then I want bigger and better again. I want it all and then I want just that little bit more. I push whatever buttons I need to,to get what I want and I don't mind playing on the weaknesses of the puppets around me to make them do exactly as I wish.

Esme is easy. She's the mother figure and her maternal instincts nearly always overpower any vampire instinct she might have. Manipulating her is easy, especially when I tug on her maternal heartstrings. She only wants what is best for her husband and children. Making sure she understands the path she is pushed towards, is what is best for them makes it an easy route. Esme's love overpowers most anything.

Carlisle is nearly the same. Playing on his compassion is key. He likes to keep as much humanity as we can handle within us. All he wishes for all of us is to do our best and be our best. He's like Esme in the way that he would do anything for us should it be for the best of our family. Carlisle can't say no to one of us. He spoils us with money, gifts and anything we might desire. There are no repercussions to our actions and he never raises his voice if he gets angry. Violence in the biggest evil to him and he prefers to keep it out of our family. Carlisle sees himself as the head of our family and so does everyone else, yet like the rest of them, he always comes to me for confirmation about anything before he makes a choice. Funny how that works.

Edward relies far too much on his gift. As I said before, manipulating him is easy; when the fore frontal thoughts running through your mind focuses on what you want him to see, what he wants to see and what would seem appropriate and correct to him. Falsifying a vision, focusing thoughts on an event in particular, believing the lies in my mind; all those things are the surest way to keeping Edward walking the trail of manipulation and lies that I want him to walk. He never sees the truth. Occasionally a slip might happen, but covering for it is just as easy a faking it. Edward is another one who looks to me for the truth or what he perceives is the truth. He likes to believe we share a bond because of our gifts and how connected he thinks we are. Truthfully speaking, Edward is full of himself; he thinks too highly of his gift and takes someone's thoughts too far in regards to their words.

Rosalie is vain. Since she has no gifts and is a bitter bitch about losing her humanity, playing and toying with her feelings on her beauty is the best way to get what you want. It's nothing to buy her a pair of limited edition, Italian leather peep toe stiletto heels and tell her 'they were made for you' to get her to smile and bend to my whim. Spending the day with her, revolving it around her and everything about her just nearly makes her whole year worthwhile. Though there are times when playing on the facts of her lost humanity, her inability to have children and grow old come into play as well. Rosalie takes our life for granted but she looks good for our family.

Emmett is simple. Literally and figuratively. He moves to whatever beat Rosalie moves to and rarely says boo. So long as he has her, he's content and willing to do whatever I wish for us to do. He is probably the easiest for me to get what I want from because he's too absorbed in his mate and his own happiness to see the strings I've tied to each and every one of them to create my own personal band of puppets.

And finally there is Jasper. The man I saw when I first woke up to this life. The man I found, saved and wore on my arm like a trophy to behold. He's the proof of just how well I can do with the things I want. Everyone sees Jasper and then they see me and automatically think of me as a savior, a saint almost. They think I love him, and maybe I do, in my own way. I love what he gives me, I love how he looks on me and beside me.

I guess you could consider him my pet in a way. I love him like any human loves their pet cat or dog. I feel affection for him, and I sure as hell can feel lust burning for him but regarding the 'forever' in it all, there is none. Jasper will be by my side until he proves himself to be useless and unneeded. He will be there until he seems bad for the family and the way we look together. So far he's done alright, and he considers himself deeply in love with me but I know it's more the fact that I brought him to a different type of life and gave him something he never thought he would be able to have. Our levels of love are different towards each other and separately. They are also different from the way the mated couples in our family feel towards each other.

Manipulating Jasper at first was very difficult. Being an empath he feels everything. There's no hiding something beneath the rest, it's all laid out for him to feel. Unfortunately, Jasper's mistake is wanting to silently surround himself with happiness and content feelings. He pulls them forward from someone first, ignoring the rest and surrounding himself in the emotions he wants to feel. I can lie to him, again and again but he'll never feel my deception because I believe my lies, easy as that. Believing in the lies make them truths in my mind, Jasper is none the wiser.

I can play on his emotions just as easily. Jasper knows he is a monster; but I like to play the angel card and tell him he's changed for the better. Though deeper in my emotions, I'll always have those slight feelings of disappointment in him. He feels those despite himself and though I never say anything and neither does he, we both know and easily it plays him right into my hands.

So that's it. That's how I work. They are all like trophies for me, each holding their own unique look for our family. I've got the beauty queen sister. Betty Crocker mother. Perfect Doctor father. Jock brother. The mind reading, brooding pianist brother and the Empathic warrior survivor husband. They are all mine and under my thumb, watching for my words and running for my decisions. It's a good thing we can't shit or they'd look for me to make sure they went at the right time.

A vision in my mind flashed as we pulled Jasper out of the house and closer to the woods.

_Edward murmuring quietly. Carlisle looking sadly at the human. Edward leaving __the house._

I checked into my fore frontal thoughts, keeping them trained on making sure Jasper was calm enough so he could talk to Edward.

Seconds later Edward barreled from the back steps, stopping in front of a now sobbing Jasper.

"My mate?" Edward growled out through clenched teeth. "My mate."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize how thirsty I actually was," Jasper replied sadly, remorse filling his every word and a strong sense of guilt filled the area around us all.

Edward's eyes narrowed just slightly at me and I did my best to look remorseful while apologizing over and over in my mind.

"Truly Edward, had I known I would have stopped it. I received the vision too late to make a difference. The only thing I could do was keep it from getting out of control." I told him, seeming to placate him a small amount.

A tiny yelp of pain floated from the house, the human was getting her stitches placed. Jasper flinched on the ground beside me. Edward growled and Rosalie and Emmett both shook their heads. Esme had taken off for the woods as soon as we had gotten Jasper removed from the house, she was in serious need of a hunt as well.

Edward looked towards the house, his eyes turning darker, sadder. A vision passed through me of Edward taking Bella home and returning shortly after.

'We should talk when you get back,' I told him in my mind.

"Sure," he responded in a monotone that was so unlike him.

We all watched him leave and retrieve the human girl quietly, pulling her through the house. You could hear her questions but he gave no answers.

"Can you tell him it wasn't his fault?" she asked.

That got a response from Edward. "Jasper?"

"Yeah."

"No, because it was." Edward spat out viciously.

Jasper's eyes searched mine but I gave nothing away physically. Emotionally I was feigning hurt and disappointment in his actions and he could feel that instead.

"Why Jasper? She's my best friend," I asked.

Emmett and Rosalie slipped away quietly, back to the house to give Jasper and I privacy or at least as much as they could warrant.

I just played on his guilt with that simple statement. It let him know I blamed him but I forgave him none the less. Either way, I had gotten what I wanted; but to keep Jasper from running I needed to make sure he felt like he needed to be close to me to keep him sane.

"Alice..." he started.

"Don't bother Jazzy, let's just let it all play out," I told him.

"Lay with me?" he asked quietly, begging almost.

It was almost amusing to me how far I had really brought him down. He practically needed me for everything when he had once been such a strong solider and man. Now he was nothing without me and my acceptance and retribution.

"I should go shower and change," I smiled sadly. "You should hunt."

"I should," he agreed easily. How simple it was.

I flipped myself up gracefully from the ground, bending down and kissing Jasper lightly on the cheek before turning and running away. I did as I said I would, showering and redressing into something more appropriate for the run in the woods I would do to go meet Edward. I send him a message simply stating to meet me in the clearing to talk privately. Without a word to anyone I left the house and began the quick run to the clearing.

It was quiet in the forest. No animals were around because they sensed my presence. About a half hour after I left, the sounds of my brothers footsteps could be heard as he entered the clearing as well. Silently he sat beside me and looked up at the stars.

"What have you seen?"

I grimaced for effect and shrugged. "I no longer see her becoming a vampire, she's just not there in our family anymore."

His golden eyes met mine in shock. "I don't fully understand Alice."

"She's not dead but she's not a vampire. I think we leave her behind," I replied.

"I don't think I can do that."

Internally I chuckled but I kept the forefront saddened for his sake. "She'd have a better life without us. You know that Edward, you've said it again and again. She could move on, go to college or university. She wouldn't have to leave her father and mother behind. She could get married, have children. She could grow old and have grandchildren. We're taking a better life away from her by giving her this life. It's incredibly selfish of us to do but we are. She'd be safer staying human."

"Victoria?" Edward asked me bitterly.

"We can all track her, kill the bitch and make it safer again for Bella."

"You really think its best Alice?" He always needed my confirmation.

I replayed a falsified vision in my mind of Bella eventually coming to terms and being happy.

_Talking to her father. Singing in the house. Going to school. Hanging out with friends. _

They were easily manipulated visions and Edward would never catch on. He smiled at me and it let me know that the fake visions had in fact, worked.

"That's good to see. It will make it easier," he told me with a sad smile. "I can't see Carlisle and Esme agreeing so easily though."

More visions pass through my mind as the decisions to discuss the issue with the family had been made. I barely got anything from them of course, since they had made no choices I had no idea how it would end.

"A wolf has phased," I interjected, and he nodded for me to continue. "We got that call from the elders last weekend. The treaty is still valid and active. Bringing her with us or changing her could cause unnecessary problems and pain for us all. It could start a war Edward. Carlisle has been debating discussing with you the options of it all."

Edward nodded tightly beside me. "Yes, I have seen that in his mind but I just assumed he would come to me when the time was right."

Another vision slipped through while Edward spoke and I concentrated on it while listening to him.

_Jasper taking down a doe. Feeding. Another doe. Running home. Showering._

I agreed quickly. "Eventually he would have. Anyway, it's been weighing on his mind. You know how much he abhors violence. Let me talk to them all about your decision."

I specifically stated, 'his decision' to manipulate it right into his hands. He didn't catch on but nodded to me instead.

"Okay, let them know I think we should leave as soon as we can. They always seem to agree so easily with you Alice."

I smiled at his statement. "They trust me. I would never lie or lead them wrong."

His hand tugged on my hair. "I know." He jumped up and pulled me along with him as well. "I'm going to get changed and run back to Bella's. I can trust to leave you with the family. Let Carlisle know I would like to have a family meeting after school."

"It's going to be sunny tomorrow," I told him.

"I'll stick close by the school and pick her up afterward."

"Bring her straight here and we can do the family meeting with her then," I explained.

Swiftly we ran back to the house together. Edward slipped upstairs and into his room. I walked into the gathering room and waited for him to finish. Once he came gliding down the staircase, he quietly asked for the rest of our family to come into the gathering room for a minute.

The entire family came through the different doorways connecting from all the different rooms. Jasper walked in last, his head down and arms clasped behind his back. He sat down silently beside me, flinging his arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side.

"It's okay Jazzy." I murmured quietly to him, too low for anyone else to have heard.

He only shook his head and pulled me closer.

"Edward, son?" Carlisle asked, looking a bit confused as to why he had called them together.

Edward smiled at me and then started speaking to the family as a whole. "I've made a decision and I think it's what would be best for all of us including Bella. Right now I need to get back to her but Alice has so graciously offered to explain it all and discuss what you think."

"You can go Edward," I told him, flashing another sad smile before he left as well.

"Alice?" Esme asked quietly.

I took a breath, feigning the feelings of nervousness and a sense of calm passed into me. I shot a curious look at Jasper who smirked at me and shrugged but I could see the sadness in his golden eyes.

"Edward wants to leave Forks," I blurted out.

"What?" came the collective question.

"With Bells right?" Emmett asked quickly.

"No, he wants to leave her here," I explained.

"That's not fair to us though. She's my daughter too, just like you or Rosalie. She's become a member of our family." Esme stated, almost sounding broken in her words.

"It would give her a chance to be human. We wouldn't be taking away her choices. She could have a life, a real human life with a career, a family and all that," I replied.

"Babies?" Rosalie asked.

I smiled softly at her and nodded. Despite Rosalie seeming like she didn't like Bella, it was more like she didn't like the choices Bella was making with her life.

"Babies, grandkids. We're taking it all away by bringing her into the family."

"I think it's a good idea to leave," Rosalie stated abruptly.

"Rosie..." Emmett muttered half angry and half in disbelief.

"No Emmett. If this is what Edward thinks we should do than let's just do it. She could have a life Em, a _life_," Rosalie stressed.

I nearly watched Emmett's resolve crumble right in that moment. "Still Rosie, she's like my sister, I can't just leave her behind like that."

"She has another family," I interjected quietly. "Bella has a mother and a father who she would need to say good-bye to. As much as she acts like she could do that without a second thought, we all know that isn't true. She loves her father so deeply and feels responsible for both of her parents. I don't think she could say goodbye to them forever. I just don't think it's possible. It's not fair to her either, to ask her to do that, just wouldn't be fair."

Carlisle looked at me and shook his head. "I don't think she will let us go quietly."

"Of course she will. She would never betray our secrets. Besides, we discussed the fact that a wolf has phased on the reservation. It's likely possible another one will soon. Unfortunately it makes it so much harder on us to turn her, even if Edward would like it or not. It would put us all in danger, unnecessary danger."

Jasper tensed beside me at the word. "A war with the wolves?" he asked softly.

"One wolf so far. I can't see anything regarding them, but there will be more. Sure, we could take Bella along for the ride with us but the wolves will eventually find out. They will come after us. More unnecessary danger and problems."

"You make her seem like she's a fuckin' chore," Jasper stated, surprised by my tone. I had let my emotions overwhelm me and he felt it.

"Jasper, watch your language in this house. You weren't raised in a barn." Esme scolded.

"Sorry."

I rolled my eyes, aggravated at Jasper's cussing and his actions. "You know I don't mean it like that Jazzy. She's my best friend and it hurts me most of all to let her go. She's my only friend and now I have to leave her behind too. I just want what's best for all of us, including Bella. Giving her a human life with real human experiences is what is best."

Carlisle sighed deeply, stopping the glare that Jasper was slightly throwing at me. He didn't believe me. "Jasper, Alice, enough." We both muttered our apologies, more to them, than each other. I had a feeling this might not be done between Jasper and I. Everyone was surprised at our actions, it was so unlike us but we both ignored them. "What have you seen Alice?" Carlisle asked eventually.

Everyone in the room went quiet. Everyone was waiting again for my confirmation about the truth of the future; but like always, they would only hear what I wanted them to so then they would do what I wanted them to.

Puppets.

"I've seen her happy, eventually. Of course there are things I can't see because choices have yet to be made but I no longer see her becoming a vampire," I replayed to them, the same thing I had basically told Edward.

"That settles it then." Esme murmured quietly, pain evident in her voice.

"So we're just goin' to leave her behind?" Jasper asked in disbelief. "She's supposed to be our family."

"It will be better for her." Rosalie snapped at him.

Jasper barked out a bitter laugh, removing his arm from around my shoulder and pointing a finger at her. "You care nothin' about Bella, only about yourself. You're nothin' but a jealous bitch most of the time. Don't play pretend Rose, you can't fuckin' fool me."

"One more cuss word from your mouth Jasper and I'm sending you on a run." Esme warned.

Jasper ignored her and turned to me. "She's your best friend Ally."

I nodded sadly, focusing my mind on different things that saddened me. "She is and always will be, but this will be good for her."

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me." I requested.

"So, what now?" Emmett asked, the anger in his voice barely hidden.

"Edward wants to have a family meeting tomorrow after school. He's bringing Bella here with him. We should do a vote. Everyone has tonight and tomorrow to think it over, about whether or not Bella should continue in our family."

"Alright then," Carlisle stated, the finality in his tone making it sound like all discussions were over.

Though, like always, I had pulled the strings in the meeting. I had turned them on the path I wanted to. I got the vision of the meeting just seconds later.

_Votes. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Confusion. Disbelief. Anger. Arguments. Edward runs. More discussion. Human Leaves. Jasper follows. _

I came out of the vision, staring at the empty room, minus my husband who was now staring out the window into the darkness.

"Why would you follow her when she left?" I asked him quietly, knowing he would have no idea about my vision but he had obviously made a decision to do something.

"To apologize in private. Where I come from, you don't just leave your family behind."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. . If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader becky03. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

_Sólo un animal doméstico que dejan atrás._

_Only a pet they leave behind._

**Bella POV**

I sat at the kitchen table and drummed my fingers quickly on the wood. The whole day had passed by awkwardly. Edward had been quiet, too quiet for my liking. The night of the party had been a disaster yet it didn't surprise me that it had ended in that fashion. They were vampires after all. I had never placed expectations so high that something would never happen; I just didn't expect the turn of events from that night.

I felt horrible for Jasper. Edward and Alice kept me separated from him most of the time and he was the only Cullen, other than Rosalie, that I knew very little about. He intrigued and frightened me at the same time. His gift was a powerful one to hold; it couldn't be easy to feel the emotions of everyone surrounding you and then try to have your own emotions as well.

Once, I had seen Jasper sitting outside, high in a tree and watching the clouds. I'd asked Alice why he did that and she said, 'the emotions of others affect his own, sometimes he needs to get away from them all, just to feel his own for a while'.

_Was bloodlust an emotion? Did any of them think of that when they were so quick to blame? _

I was sure Jasper had more control of himself than they gave him credit for and all I wanted to do was tell him it wasn't his fault; that I didn't blame him. How could I? I was a human who danced at deaths door every day. If I didn't walk in front of death's path, it would surely find me. A paper cut was such a little _human _thing to happen and he was a vampire. No one would place blame on me for doing what was only expected. I have always been clumsy, even if getting a papercut was careless, they would not blame me. And no one should place blame on him, he was only reacting in a way that was natural for him. But this seclusion felt like an ominous weight hanging in the air.

Charlie was working late again. Things in the town of Forks weren't always perfect just because it was a small town. That only made people bored. And when they had nothing else better to do, they make fun for themselves.

I hated being alone. It left me with my thoughts and nothing else. I had cleaned the house spotless and then went over it again. The laundry was washed, dried, folded and put away. Supper was made and readied in the top shelf of the fridge as always for when my Dad finally did get home. My homework was complete, my tests studied for and I didn't feel like reading or watching TV. So, I was alone, alone with my thoughts to keep me company and nothing else.

_Family, Forgiveness, Love, Belonging, Vampires_

Edward was soon to arrive. He had called earlier in the day and said the family would like to see me. Something in his words had chilled me despite sounding happy. The Cullens never requested to see me, they just came and went the same as I did in their home. Something wasn't right and it only left me with more to stew in my mind.

_Family, Forgiveness, Love, Belonging, Vampires, Fear, Worry, Parties, Papercuts_

"Bella, love," Edward's voice broke through my thoughts and I jumped in shock. He was close behind me; so close his breath fanned my neck. "Sorry," he chuckled. "I didn't mean to scare you."

I turned and glared at him but the beauty in his golden eyes had me backing down and smiling shyly. "It's fine. I was just thinking."

"About?" he pressed lightly.

My nose scrunched up and I shrugged. Telling Edward that I suspected he was lying to me about something and that I was worrying about something else didn't feel like the best idea. I was anything but stupid and I was completely grateful he couldn't read my mind. Maybe being broken in that department wasn't such a bad thing after all.

"School," I answered after a moment.

I was a teenager after all, there were times when I could act like it and he wouldn't question me. I hated lying to anyone, especially Edward, but he made me feel like I needed to be smarter than most, more mature than those around me and most of all, above all others to be worthy of being his. I wasn't even sure if he realized that was the impression he gave off. I deduced it down to the era he was brought up in. The higher class people weren't known for being sympathetic to those they thought was beneath them.

He made a low humming noise in agreement before kissing my forehead. "Shall we go then?"

I hadn't heard his car pull in the driveway and a quick look out the window told me he hadn't brought it at all. "Where is the Volvo?"

"Home. I thought a run would be nice," he replied with a tiny shrug. "And I didn't want the neighbors seeing my car here too often without your father being home. It makes for nasty gossip."

I nearly snorted in sarcasm. Edward had been here plenty of times when my Dad wasn't home. Something was up; it almost made the hair on the back of my neck raise. Still, I said nothing, grabbed my coat off the hanger in the closet before slipping it and my shoes on as well.

"So, we're taking my truck then?" I asked as I locked the front door. A flicker of a grimace passed his features. I knew he hated my truck but I loved it. The thing was a beast and it had personality that went beyond the hunk of metal it looked like. Edward nodded and then opened the driver's door to get in. "Nope, I drive today. You didn't bring the Volvo, that's your problem."

"Bella," he murmured, fixing his eyes on me again and reaching out to stroke my cheek with his cold fingers. He was trying to dazzle his way into driving and I wasn't having it.

"Get into the passenger side," I ordered. "Right now or we don't leave."

A low growl rumbled from his chest in annoyance. After a two minute stare down between us, he finally slipped into the other seat and I jumped in before starting up the truck. For the most part, we drove in silence. Edward kept his eyes trained out the window but he seemed tense. I tried to hold his hand but he grumbled something about keeping both hands on the wheel. He was being petulant.

About three quarters of the way there, I decided to speak. "Is everyone there?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," he said before shooting me a look and then turning back into a still statue.

"What's the plan?"

He sighed deeply. "Everything will be explained when we get there, love. Watch the road, you're making me nervous."

I huffed in frustration but decided not to push my luck. Edward could be a touchy vampire most times. He came and went with his different moods as quickly as a squirrel jumped from one tree to the next. I could never understand why he regularly felt the need to brood and be depressed. It seemed like such a waste of life to be that way. Most of he time, his mood swings had me feeling dejected about life. That was a shitty way to live.

The long driveway of the Cullen's came in sight. As I pulled up the drive it seemed like Edward got quieter and tenser if that was possible. He had me on edge and I wondered what was waiting for me in the house that held the family I now considered my own. I stopped the truck and before I had it in park, Edward was already opening my door.

I rolled my eyes and he shot me a small smile. "Old habits die hard I guess," he reasoned.

The inside of the house was too quiet to have anyone inside, yet the entire family sat around the dining room table looking sad and anxious as we walked in. The tense atmosphere had me confused because this wasn't their usual behavior at all. Rosalie and Emmett sat beside the chair that had been pulled out for me. Emmett gave me a wink and his signature smile but it didn't reach his eyes like it usually did. Rosalie sat silent but in a fashion unlike her usual hostile demeanor, she looked anywhere but at me with a sad frown on her face.

Jasper and Alice sat across from me, both quiet and staring at the table. I could feel the slight amount of uneasy emotions Jasper must have been projecting from everyone else, but a blanket of calm surrounded my senses before he smiled just slightly in the direction he was looking.

Esme sat at the far end of the table and Carlisle stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. Both were silent like the others, but instead of avoiding my curious gaze, they stared straight at me and both smiled in a reassuring way. I still didn't feel reassured, it felt false and fake, statues carved from stone.

Carlisle spoke, startling me slightly as Edward sat at the end of the table beside me. "Bella, we've decided to have a family meeting and because you are technically a part of our family and the discussions revolve around you and all of our futures, we thought it only appropriate you be included."

"Okay," I responded softly, intimidated by the spotlight.

"Would you like to explain, son?" Carlisle asked Edward who stiffened in his chair at the words.

"No, but it's only proper that I do," Edward replied nearly too low for me to hear. He turned to me but kept his body far enough from my reach so I couldn't have comfort from his touch. Nothing about this seemed right to me. "We've decided it's time for our family to move on," he started.

Anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks. Jasper groaned and another sense of calm covered my body. "Right now? Why not wait another year or until we graduate?" I asked quickly and regardless of the false emotional calm Jasper had coursing thru me, my voice was still shaking. "I'm not ready to leave my father," I explained.

"I know that love, but that isn't the only reason we've called this meeting. Everyone is here to discuss the options of you becoming a permanent member of our family. You becoming a vampire doesn't affect just you and me, it affects their lives too."

I was confused but kept my eyes on Edward. No one else really mattered as he spoke his words. "Discuss the options?" I repeated low. "There are no options Edward, only one."

He shook his head. "We are leaving within a few days. This meeting was called for everyone to vote and give their reasons as to why you should or should not be changed and become a member of our family."

"I thought I already was," I whispered, remembering the words Carlisle had just said and thinking about all the other times it had been said as well.

Edward ignored my words and looked up at Carlisle. "Shall we begin then?" he asked.

This wasn't fair to me at all. I wanted to be the only one with the choice in my future and I had already made that choice to be with Edward.

"Yes, let's," Carlisle murmured before waving for Edward to give his _vote. _

"I vote no," Edward stated clearly, looking at me like it was the easiest thing he had ever said. A sob caught in my throat and my eyes filled with tears. I fought them back though, breaking down wasn't in my plans just yet.

"Why?" I hissed out. "Do you not love me like you say?"

"I'm doing this because I love you. I love you enough to want you to have a normal, human life where you can be safe from all this," he replied with a wave of his hands.

"Next," I spat out, choosing not to reply to his words. "Emmett?"

"No," Emmett said softly beside me. My head whipped around to look at him in shock. Of all the people in the room, I least expected Emmett to say no. "I'm sorry Bells, you know I love you like my little sister."

"Love?" I asked, disgusted.

Emmett continued talking and my rage boiled underneath it all. I was sure even Jasper had no effect on me right then. "Yeah, I love you like crazy. I agree with Edward. This isn't the right life for you. You weren't made for this and you can live as the rest of us couldn't. I don't want you giving up everything you should have for a chance to be with us, that's not fair to you."

"Rosalie?" I asked quietly, keeping my eyes trained on Emmett who just looked all around hurt that I refused to acknowledge him.

"You know my vote, Bella. It's the same as it always has been and always will be," her musical voice said. "No. Grow up, get married, have babies and then grow old and spoil the hell out of your grandchildren. Live life as it should be lived, not like we do. I'm so incredibly jealous that you can do that. I've wanted for nothing other than a human life and you have the chance to have it all and all you want to do is _throw it away. _Is love worth a future of experiences you'll never be able to have with Edward?" she asked at the end.

"It is to me," I replied, finally turning to look at her. "Have you ever heard that old saying, 'not all that glitters is gold'? Vanity is a sin Rose, literally and figuratively. Not everything you want, I want. We're two different people with completely opposite outlooks and dreams. I'm sorry yours were taken away and you never had the choice, but this is supposed to be my choice," I hissed. "Mine. This is what I wanted."

"What about children?" she growled out. "Little babies whose first words are 'momma' and they are reaching for _you? _What about all those little moments you'll never be able to have because you think you're in love?"

I was eighteen for Christ's sake. I was too damn young to want children and it never really seemed like I was the person to have kids. That wasn't something I wanted in my future. Being human or a vampire was never going to change that.

"I never planned on having children regardless. Live your own life Rosalie, stop trying to make the choices in mine," I spit out. "Esme?"

"I'm so very sorry, Sweetheart," Esme whispered and my heart sank further. "Carlisle and I both decided together that this is not the life we want you to have. We wish for so much more than an eternity of never being able to stay in one place, of lying about who you are and forever being stuck unchangeable. If there is anything I regret missing from my human life, it was not savoring the time I had more than what I did. You may think that this is all you have but you are so wrong. You have a father and a mother whom you love so deeply. Is it fair to them for us to take you away and claim you as ours? I couldn't imagine someone doing that to me. You are my child as much as the rest in this room are, but you have another family who needs you more. My vote, and Carlisle's vote, is no."

My hands shook under the table and I clenched them tight to keep from slamming them onto the antique wood. "Alice?"

"Bella, you know you're my best friend, my only friend really," she started.

"But it's no, right?" I laughed sarcastically.

"I no longer see you as a vampire like I once did. It leads me to believe that this life isn't in your future path any longer. I'll miss you so much and I love you but my vote is no," she whispered. She sounded so sad, yet her statements sounded rehearsed. I was pissed.

Jasper's deep voice had me looking up to meet his eyes. "I'd say yes under any other circumstances Bella, for many different reasons but I tend to agree with the reasoning's they have given. Give something else a chance, Bella. My vote is no."

I was sure my vision redlined. Not because of what Jasper had said but more because of the whole situation. "Was this shit planned?" I asked.

Edward hissed beside me and Esme gasped. "Bella, that language isn't needed for this."

I laughed bitterly again. Boy, did they have a bit to learn about me. "Seriously though, did you sit down and discuss this before I even came? I had no choice coming in here, did I?" No one answered, but it gave me what I needed to know. "That is un-fucking-fair to me."

"Bella," Edward growled in warning.

I pointed at him before slamming my fist hard on the table. Fuck the precious wood. They pissed me off. "You shut up. How dare you Edward? You say you love me and that forever is a possibility, yet you pull some shit like this?"

"I do love you," he murmured.

"Just not enough, right?" I asked back with venom in my voice. The tears were fighting their way through again but I held them back and stood up, slamming the chair to the floor as I did so. "So let's just get these piss poor reasons correct and out there for all too see, hmm? Shall we now?" I mocked.

"Bella, please," Edward pleaded. _Fuck him_.

"Shut up," I snapped at Edward before turning to the rest of the Cullen family. "Yes, I've listened to all of your reasons. At least be fucking honest with me instead of shoveling bullshit down my throat. It boils down to me not being good enough for your family. You use the ruse of wanting me to have a human life when in fact, I'm just not perfect enough to be a part of yours."

"That is not true," Carlisle said strongly.

"Bells, really," Emmett said at the same time.

I rounded on the man who called himself my brother. "And you, you say you love me like a sister yet you're quick to follow on your wife's heels. Damn it Emmett, think for yourself."

He looked stunned but Rosalie stood up to face me as well and snarled. "Leave him alone. He cares for you, much more than I ever will or ever will understand. Do not make my husband feel any worse than he already does."

My eyes narrowed in on Rosalie but I turned back to Carlisle and Esme. "I considered you my family first and foremost. I was ready to give up everything I have and say goodbye to everyone I care about to become part of your family, yet you throw me away like a piece of garbage. Don't say you love me like your own child when in the same sentence you turn me out on the street like I've never meant anything to you. I can't see you justifying parental love when you do something like that."

"Bella, that is enough," Edward roared.

I'd had enough of him. He and the rest of them had pushed me to my limit and the rage boiled over as I slammed my palm into his chest hard enough that it hurt, but I was far too angry to care.

"You can fuck right off. I want a reason Edward. Not some piss poor excuse for a get away free card. Tell me why you don't want me anymore. Tell me why you just don't care. I'm so sick of your perfectness because it's nothing but a lie. Tell me why!" I was hysterical and I screamed.

"I…I…I'm sorry" he stuttered before running from the room and leaving nothing but air in his wake.

"Fucking coward." I choked out in his direction, leaning down on my knees trying to pull air in my lungs.

The sound of a door slamming had my whole body shaking with the anger and disappointment, mixed with the feelings of being unworthy and abandonment. It was over and I had no idea what all just happened or what brought me here.

"A fucking paper cut," I mumbled under my breath.

Guilt slammed into me, compliments of Jasper but before I could say anything, Alice was standing up and shooting me a sympathetic look. "I'm going to go after him to try and calm him down. I just want you to know, I do love you Bella. This will be the last time I see you, so I'll leave you with the knowledge that you will have happiness eventually."

I looked at the girl who had once told me being a vampire was my only future. She had lied too and now I knew it.

"Burn in hell, Alice," I hissed.

She didn't even flinch at my words and that told me I had hit it spot fucking on with my assessment. "Goodbye, Bella."

Rosalie and Emmett slipped silently out of the room and a door shut again. Jasper was still sitting silently on the chair before I turned to Esme and Carlisle again.

"I need to know the truth," I pleaded.

Esme looked heartbroken and Carlisle was no better. "We do love you, with everything we are possible of having Bella," she whispered.

"Just not enough," I repeated.

"More than enough," Carlisle growled. It shocked me; he wasn't the type to let his anger boil over. "My mate sobbed for hours last night trying to _justify _saying goodbye to her daughter. How do you think that makes us feel? We don't want to leave you behind but there are no other options for us to take. We've put you in a world of danger in the little amount of time we've known you thus far. I wouldn't have changed you without Edward's permission and he never would have agreed. Staying human and living in our family was only another danger to add in more ways than one. You put us in danger too, Bella. I can't do that to my family."

That shocked me. "Putting you in danger? How do I do that?"

"You know of our existence for one. For two, if changing you was ever possible, we'd break the treaty and a war with the wolves would ensue. Nomadic vampires are drawn to our family as it is, out of pure curiosity and with you being human adding to the already strange mix we have, it would nearly always end up in violence. I can't have my entire family being put at risk because we can't change you without Edward's agreement."

"So that's it then?" I asked. "You do what Edward god damned well wants because he has such influence on everything and fuck what the rest want?"

"There is no need to curse," Esme said softly.

I had never felt so much rage in my life before these moments. Every cell in my body vibrated with the feeling and I had no idea how Jasper was sitting calmly across the table without even a flicker of emotion. This was supposed to be effecting him yet, he showed nothing. I couldn't understand why he wasn't trying to calm me as well. Either he couldn't or he felt I was right in feeling as I did and thought I should let the anger out.

"But in a round about way, it comes right back to me not being _good enough for you, right?" _I asked scathingly.

"No," Esme whispered. "We do love you."

Red flashed in my vision again and what hadn't been pushed out yet finally came screaming out with my voice. "You know what, fuck you all. I've had enough of this shit charade, I'm out."

Truthfully, it was the last thing I wanted to do. Since meeting Edward and his family, there had been nothing else I had thought of other than being with them for eternity. I had felt accepted and loved without cause and for some reason, I even felt like I fit in. It broke my heart to know they just didn't care the same amount for me as I thought they had. Reality was one tough bitch to deal with when it came right down to it.

I stormed through the house, slipped on my shoes and grabbed my coat hanging by the door before I opened the front door and left, slamming it so hard that it even hurt my ears. I was positive theirs would be bleeding if it were possible. My truck loomed in the dark as well as Emmett standing beside it. He was alone and I wondered where Rosalie was.

He rubbed his fingers through his dark curls as I approached and stopped in front of him. "Move out of my way," I stated quietly.

"Let me say something first," he compromised.

"I'd really rather not hear anything," I replied. "There is nothing you or any one else can say that will make this any better. I just got ambushed in there. That wasn't fucking fair to me at all. How dare all of you do that shit to me?"

His large hands reached out and grabbed the sides of my face before he bent down and stared me straight in the eyes. "Do not, for one second, think that they don't love you or care for you. Carlisle and Esme love you just as much as they do the rest of us. I've never heard Esme so broken as I did last night and it tore me up inside. Even Rosie, regardless of her words and actions, needed to remove herself from the house while she cried in private because of what we were going to do. They all love you. I love you."

"Just not enough," I repeated sadly.

"Enough to give you what you deserve. Yeah, I followed Rosie's lead. But it was my lead too. You can have so much more than this, you are worthy of more than someone who will only give you half of what they are capable of. This is just the start of your life Bella.. You're only just beginning to live Bells. Have you ever been drunk or high, just to try it for the sake of doing it? Have you ever danced, really danced? Or sang in front of a crowd? Is there a place so sunny and hot that you haven't visited but always dreamed of? There are so many things you haven't done and being this takes it all away. Maybe kids and looking forward to growing old isn't your thing, but there is a ton of other things that you have yet to really experience. Do it for me, okay?"

A tear slipped down my cheek. "Don't say goodbye to me, Emmett."

He gave a little smirk and nodded. "Fine. No goodbyes from me. But I am sorry, for this. I have to agree that we went about it the wrong way and I can see how it felt like we were ganging up on you. But we do love you," he repeated.

I couldn't say anything because my anger was still pounding hard on every inch of my skin. His head titled to the side before he smiled softly and let go of my face.

"Someone else wants to say goodbye," he told me.

Jasper's form slipped through the tree line. I wondered how he had gotten out of the house without me hearing, but he had always been the quietest of the bunch and the least likely to be noticed. It was sad really. He was such a formidable person yet he hid in the shadows. I didn't think that was a fair assessment of the real Jasper.

Emmett hugged me tight before leaving at a vampire's speed to go find Rosalie, I presumed. Jasper approached me cautiously.

"That was an awful amount of anger you were shoving out in there," he said as if it was nothing.

"You don't seem too affected by it," I retorted.

He shrugged. "I may have seemed impassive, but that doesn't mean my anger levels weren't sky rocketing too. More than likely for different reasons."

"What do you want Jasper?" I finally asked, tired of standing around and dealing with this all over again.

He stared at me for a while before he finally decided to speak. "I am sorry Bella, for attacking you. Things were overwhelming, I hadn't hunted in a week and I was pushed too far with everything else surrounding it. None of that is a valid enough excuse for my lack of control but nonetheless, I am very sorry. Had I of known this would be the result…"

"You would have what? Can you see the future like Alice now too?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, I see your point though. Still, it seems redundant for me to say it but I am sorry."

"It's not your fault, Jasper," I murmured, the anger slowly dissipating and turning back into the feelings of unworthiness and desertion again.

He leaned against my truck and I opened the door to get inside. He stopped me and shook his head. "Don't leave just yet and stop feeling like that. It's ridiculous. Have you thought that maybe we're not worthy of you? I don't agree with the way they all went about this. Really there was no choice or say for you and it's hard to call yourself a family when you can leave a member behind without even looking back. At the same time, all of their hearts are breaking, so take that into account."

"So?" I asked bitterly. "It didn't seem much like it in there."

"You were too caught up in your own shock and anger to really notice anything but the bad points," he shot back in the same tone. "They're right when they say this life isn't for you though. None of this is for anyone. You've been so absorbed in Edward and the love you believe you have for each other to see the negative parts in our family and just vampire life in general."

I stood up to him and glared. "Why would it matter to you? How in the hell would you know? You've never made the attempt to know me or anything about me yet you assume you understand. Becoming a member of your family, becoming a vampire and spending an eternity with Edward are all I have ever wanted since he stepped into my life. It is all I wanted for my future. I was going to give everything else up because it was worth it to me; to have this family and his love. Nothing else compared. This was all I wanted and all I planned for. Now it's gone. Don't tell me I was too absorbed. I knew what I was getting into but it didn't matter." My voice had risen to a near yell but Jasper just stared at me with the same expression of indifference on his face.

"Do you really?" he asked. I nodded furiously. "I don't think you really do Bella. It's not all rainbows and puppy dogs. When you wake up fresh from the burn all you can think about is the thirst. It's all consuming and it takes over your every thought. You're controlled by your instincts and your need to feed. You snap at every little thing and can't get your thoughts together for more than a second before it all becomes a jumbled mess. Your strength is so difficult to control that you'd be treated like a child while you learned it all over again. Nothing is easy. You'd lose your memories and the ones you keep fade away with time. The burn never fully goes away and you'd need to live your life around the time when the sun hides well enough so you don't shine for the world to see."

He growled low and it shocked me a bit. His growl was different than the rest, more feral and less controlled.

"The life they live isn't just happiness and love. They're still vampires underneath it all. Raw, animalistic, controlled by instincts when shit gets tough. You think when you wake up, it will be the start of forever and everything will be great. That is the worst assumption you could ever make. If you didn't feel confined and confused constantly, you'd feel angry and volatile the other half. It took me a few years before everything really started to settle into some type of normalcy, if that's what you want to call it."

"So what? What makes you so different from the rest of the Cullens?" I asked, curious.

He shot a sad look at the house and shrugged again. "I wasn't originally a member of the Cullen coven, my name before my change was Jasper Whitlock. I was changed in a very different world than the rest of them. I wasn't given the choices and options they were given. Immediately I was thrust into a world filled with hate and death; it surrounded me constantly for a long time. I'm grateful and so thankful for the family they've been to me and the life I've learned from them, but it's hard to adjust when all you've ever known is hate, war and death."

I wanted to know more about Jasper after his little explanation. There was a story he had to tell but kept hidden for the sake of secrecy or safety, maybe both. It was also possible he didn't like to feel pitied or judged. I still wanted to know.

Deciding he had said enough, he chose to change the subject, back to the topic of the night. "Go live, Bella. I tend to agree with everything Emmett said. There are a million things you can't experience in our life because being what we are makes it impossible or incredibly uncomfortable. Graduate, go to university, party, fall in love and make stupid decisions because you can and then learn from those mistakes because you need to."

"I have fallen in love," I corrected him.

Jasper nodded and his golden eyes met my brown ones. "And if he loves you enough, like a real mate does for their other half, he won't stay away for long. It's just not possible. Once that union is made between mates, the pull is near impossible to resist."

I sighed at his words. "It wasn't your fault Jasper," I repeated.

He smiled and touched my shoulder lightly. "Maybe not, but it doesn't help how I feel inside." He moved away from the truck and I climbed inside quickly. He tapped on the glass and I rolled down the window as I started the truck. "Do me a favor, huh?"

"Yeah?"

"Slam back a couple shots of whiskey for me, it was always my favorite. You've never really lived if you've never tried whiskey," he said with a smile.

I couldn't help but smirk at his words. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, stay away from the South."

With those words he left at a speed far too fast for my human eyes. I left the property as fast as I could and tried not to look back. I did though, and I just caught a glimpse of the house that held a family I had so desperately wanted to call my own. The tears flowed freely and I sobbed but held my grip tight to the steering wheel.

I made it half way home before I had to pull over. It was raining, but I got out of the truck regardless, it had made me feel confined with my thoughts and feelings. I hated feeling that right then. So I sat down on the wet road and leaned my back against the front tire of my truck, and as my face met my hands and I sobbed hard, gasping for air as I cried freely.

I was breaking down privately, letting the anger and anguish flow. I needed to break down. They had taken it all away from me. What else was left to take?


	3. Chapter 3

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader becky03.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

Un comienzo para siempre.

_A start to forever._

**Bella POV**

It had taken the Cullen family less than a week to remove themselves completely from Forks. None of the 'children' had returned to school, using the ruse of needing time to prepare for the move and because they were such a large family, some were leaving earlier than others.

_Not worth it. Not strong enough. Not smart enough. Not beautiful enough. Not made for their world. Not good enough. _

Emmett and Rosalie had already graduated the year before but the story for outward appearances was that they were taking a year off before marrying and going off to college. Jasper had returned to school this year with Alice; only taking three classes a day as prep for college, but the truth was he was working on learning to control his bloodlust and curb his desire. Alice liked to have him stuck close by her side regardless.

Not having their constant presence surrounding me made things easier when I did go back that following Monday. There was talk of course, and a lot of questions directed at me that I didn't have the answers to. None of the Cullens had thought to give me a cover story, none of them even tried to make contact with me during the last week they were in town.

In a way, I was grateful. In another, I was pissed. Confusion and anger were my companions. They worked well together and kept me going. I refused to break down. They couldn't break me; no one could break me anymore.

Carlisle gave a one week notice at the hospital. I heard through the grapevine that they hadn't been impressed but conceded to take what he was offering despite it. Somehow in that one week I had managed not to hurt myself enough to need to seek medical attention. The showdown that might have ensued between Carlisle and I in the hospital probably wouldn't have been proactive to hiding their secrets. All respect I once had for him and Esme had disappeared when they decided I wasn't good enough for them anymore.

I wasn't out for the Cullen family anymore. I was out for me.

_Not worth it. Not strong enough. Not smart enough. Not beautiful enough. Not made for their world. Not good enough. _

That week had passed by slowly. The barrage of questions from everyone, including the mailman and the checkout lady at the grocery store, continued without seeming to wane.

_Why are they leaving? How do you feel about it? Edward must be heartbroken, what about you? Will you visit? Where are they going? _

I couldn't and wouldn't call them insensitive or ignorant for asking. In reality, they hadn't ever known enough about the Cullen family as it was and curious minds can't be tamed at the best of times. I was one of the few people who even talked to them, so naturally in a town the size of Forks, that would leave me the only person who had ever had any kind of contact with the outsiders to answer their questions. Even I had questions; questions that could not be answered, a little harsh but well warranted. I wanted my due but would never get it and I knew it. I couldn't answer the questions or say what I wanted anyway. That only pissed me off more and pushed me harder to find what I did want.

On the last day, the final countdown, when I knew they were leaving, everything seemed quiet and different. Maybe it was my mind playing tricks on my body and keeping me from breaking down, but everything just seemed odd.

I waited and watched in my room on that Sunday, wondering if I would hear the telltale scratch on my window before the glass would lift quietly and Edward would slip through. Secretly I was hoping he would come back, even if it was for a few minutes, just to talk and say his own goodbye properly without every member of his family sitting there watching.

He at least owed me that closure. I wanted explanations, real and true reasons for his departure from my life for good, not the seemingly pre-programmed excuses he had given that night. Edward _owed me _but he never came.

Maybe I was a little happy he hadn't. The truth always hurt anyway and whatever real reason he had would most likely cut me deeper than most. I didn't think I could handle it.

Lucky for me it had been a Sunday. I was able to putter quietly about the house while Charlie sat back and watched me, lost in his own thoughts. He had been nice enough not to ask questions like all the other people in town who seen me had. My father seemed to know I wasn't in the mood for discussions or heart to hearts.

On that day though, he didn't give me a choice. "Tell me Bells, tell me something, anything. I don't want to see you lost in a wallowing pit of despair because your heart is broken or whatever. Just tell me something," he finally muttered after an hour of watching me wipe down every surface in the kitchen.

_Not worth it. Not strong enough. Not smart enough. Not beautiful enough. Not made for their world. Not good enough. _

I took a few deep breaths to steady my thoughts and it gave me time to think about what I really wanted to say.

_They just left me behind. I wasn't good enough for them. They don't want me. Is it okay? Am I okay? Will it ever be okay? No, breaking down isn't an option. I'm not meant for them but that doesn't apply to everyone. _

"Bells?" Charlie asked quietly and bringing me out of my internal ramble of craziness.

"Sorry Dad," I replied before standing back up and tossing the dusting rag under the sink. "I'm fine. The Cullens are leaving and for whatever reason, I didn't bother to stick around long enough to hear why. I'm not going to cry and scream or turn into some angst ridden, suicidal crazy teenager because of it. Don't worry about having to wake me up at night because of nightmares or pulling all nighters because you sit outside my door and listen to me cry."

"Sweetheart," Charlie started.

I held up my hand to stop him. "No Dad, seriously, I am _fine. _It's not going to happen. Sure, I loved Edward and he gave me a whole new outlook on my life and where I want to go in the future, but that is it. Without really knowing it, Edward made me feel like I was never good enough and never would be good enough for him and he kind of proved it with this. I'm not going to let him have this," I muttered, waving my hands in a sweeping motion towards myself. "He can't break me."

"Bells, he's not good enough for you, not the other way around." Charlie tried not to be argumentative, his words told his offense, but his expression showed only concern.

"Dad, this is not going to break me."

"But he's leaving, for good," Charlie pressed.

I shrugged and poured dish washing liquid into the sink before turning on the tap and watching apple scented bubbles starting to form.

"They already left me a long time ago," I whispered into the white bubbles taking over the sink in front of me and bringing my attention away from the conversation.

…..

Two weeks turned into four and then six came just as easily as the others. Nothing came in the mail. Nothing appeared in my email. No flashing messages came on my cell phone.

_Nothing. Blank. No contact. Gone. _

_They don't want you… _

_So what? _

_You're not good enough? _

_Not for them… _

_No email. No letters. Not even a smoke signal. Just fucking gone. _

_Assholes. _

_They don't want you. You just weren't good enough. You aren't meant for their world. _

'_Their world'. Exactly. The Cullens aren't the only vampires in this world. _

School became a refuge for my mind. I worked harder on my studies, keeping my mind trained on goals for the future. I desperately wanted to get out of Forks, no matter the cost or effort I needed to put forth to do it. Forks held the memory of the Cullens, and I didn't want that forever hanging over my head and tainting my future.

Getting out of Forks was just the first goal. The second was a good university and scholarships. Studying hard, pushing out excellent marks and a near perfect GPA was opening up doors to several fully paid scholarships, at a few different universities. I had a choice and I wanted to make the right one.

_Not good enough. _

_Not for them. _

_What about _you?

_Doesn't matter, I know what I was made for. _

_You're nothing special. _

_I am to someone, something. _

…..

Two months turned into four. The refuge that was my schooling turned into a fast obsession. I quickly learned who were and would be my friends for the time being and the future. Jessica Stanley was nothing but a jealous bitch with sluttish tendencies. Lauren Mallory was no better and both were thicker than thieves. Each thrived on the others incessant need to cause drama and made it a game to see who could hurt the most people with their gossip and cruel lies.

For the most part, I evaded them and the boys that trailed behind them like puppies begging for attention. I wanted no part of that crowd.

Angela Webber and Ben Cheney became two of my closet confidants. At some point during senior year they became a pair who rarely left each others side. He was attentive to her, dropping sweet smiles and touching lightly every chance he got. She responded equally and it made me happy to see.

I wanted to scream it to the world that you didn't need to be immortal to know what everlasting love was; considering the Cullens made it seem like only the vampire community really knew what it was like to feel intense love, affection and devotion. No one could tell me that Ben and Angela wouldn't be together forever, even if death would meet them eventually. It didn't seem like a possibility. They fit each other perfectly and balanced out the others quirks and needs.

_Don't you want that? _

_I'll find it. It's in the plans. _

_Not good enough. Never good enough. Not worth it. _

_Not to them. _

_Then to whom?_

_They're not the only of their kind. _

"Have you picked a college, Bella?" Angela asked as we flipped through the English papers we were both working on.

I made a face and she laughed. "No, not yet. I've narrowed it down to three though."

Her face brightened and I groaned immediately. She was always so enthusiastic about me continuing on after school. She really was a good friend and she pushed me into the right directions. I was going to miss her greatly when I did leave.

"Oh come on, it's not so bad. College and an education isn't the only thing out there though."

I poked her in the arm and made a scoffing sound. "So says the girl who is working on Valedictorian." She shrugged before looking at me slyly. "What? Tell me Ang."

Her tiny grin turned into an all out bright smile. "I heard someone was closing in on that title with me."

"Who?" I asked immediately interested.

Brown eyes rolled at me in annoyance. "Seriously? You Bella. Do you know how close you are to my GPA right now? You're like a quarter of a point lower."

I stared at her with my mouth gaping in shock.

_She's kidding right? _

_Nope. _

_Yeah, right. _

_Not good enough. _

_Not for them. _

"So…."

I waved my hands for her to explain more. I knew I had been working extra hard and being more diligent while doing a lot more extra work for more credit and higher marks. Still, I hadn't been aiming for Valedictorian so much as a fully paid scholarship.

"Well I had a meeting with the principal. No one can touch my scores and the scholarships I have already been awarded are solid. I am head Valedictorian but you…." She trailed off in her sentence and wagged her eyebrows teasingly.

"Come on Ang," I pleaded, pushing her shoulder lightly and earning a giggle from her lips.

"If you keep it up, you'll probably be Co-Valedictorian," she finally blurted. "We'll have to work together for the speech and all that but because you were a transfer in, I'll still be head of the two of us."

Still slightly shocked, I said nothing and fingered the pages of my textbook. Once my thoughts were in order I finally decided to speak. "And you're happy about this? I mean, I don't want to take from your spotlight with it. You've worked so hard."

Angela made a 'psht' like sound and leaned over to give me a shoulder hug. "So have you. I've seen such a big change in you and I don't think you even realize it. You're finally driven, more enthusiastic and you're going places. You depend on you alone and no one else. It's crazy awesome and there is no one else I would rather share that honor with."

I smiled at her statement before grinning wirily. "Not even Ben?" I asked teasingly.

She rolled her eyes again. "Ben has a trust fund bank account to pay for any college of his choice." Her expression turned soft again and she smiled at the thought of her love. "But he still works hard in school and he is just as driven as you and I for the future. Valedictorian is not his kind of thing but there are a lot of other things I plan on sharing with him in my future."

With that comment I couldn't help but giggle. "Bad Ang," I reprimanded. "Lustful thoughts are a sin."

She chuckled and shrugged, opening her binder and readying her pen. "Leave me alone. You're no better." After a couple of seconds of comfortable silence she looked up at me again. "So colleges?"

I groaned again because the girl never forgot a thing, but it was just one of the many reasons I loved her.

…..

Charlie and I discussed the options for university nearly every moment we had. He was pushing for Chicago or Alaska but they were both the first choices Edward had pushed on me as well. I had the slight inkling that the Cullens may have settled in Alaska again because of the 'family' they had mentioned living there, but I still had received no communication or indication from any of them.

_They don't care because you're just not important enough. _

_No, wrong. They're not good enough. _

_Not worthy. Not strong. Not enough. Have you not figured it out yet? _

_I don't need them. They were only one option in a pool of choices. _

_Sure. _

The other university that was looking at me was appealing for reasons I was unsure. It was located in Texas and bordered on the town of El Paso, therefore being called the University of Texas and El Paso.

I knew what I wanted to study in university; sociology. It was ironic in a way but I refused to delve to deep into it.

All three had excellent Sociology programs and the complete scholarships I had received made the choices that little bit harder. Without giving Charlie a completely truthful reason, I dropped the Alaska University off the list easily. I wasn't all too interested in meeting up with the Cullens again and that put the possibility out there.

Charlie arranged for me to take a trip to visit the remaining two universities. Chicago was nice and had one of the top twenty Sociology programs in the entire United States. That simple fact appealed to me more than anything else. The campus was busy and enjoyable with decent students and mostly helpful professors. The tour went quickly and was easy enough but the entire place left an unsettling feeling in my stomach.

Chicago reminded me far too much of Forks. The damp air burned my skin with memories and it was something I could hardly stand for the short two days I spent there. I wanted something new and different from the life I had been living in Forks.

I was ready to leave that all behind and start anew. Chicago, despite being a different place couldn't seem to offer me that refuge and regardless of the programs they offered, I wasn't willing to give up my peace of mind.

The University of Texas and El Paso was stunning and diverse, the exact thing I had wanted to disperse the memories in Forks. The entire place screamed something new and exciting to every fiber of my being. It was brown, dry, sandy and bright. The air was warm and clean. There weren't miles of trees and the constant wetness that dampened my thoughts and memories.

A bright sun was a companion I had missed greatly from my time in Phoenix. El Paso had that additive and it pushed me to choose that college.

_Stay away from the South._

Jasper's comment had me highly intrigued as well. Obviously he had been from the area. His accent alone gave away his true heritage. It made me wonder what had been so bad that even he ran away from it. South it was. The University of Texas and El Paso was the choice.

I had to snicker internally because Jasper would never know he had helped me to make my choice. Despite me not letting the Cullen's abrupt and brutal leave from my life affect me negatively, at least one of them was still affecting me.

Charlie wasn't overly impressed with my choice. He didn't like the distance between us but it seemed as though he understood that a change in scenery was what I really needed to completely heal myself. Between my college fund and scholarships, I would be well off and quite comfortable during my years there. I was excited for the new place; thrilled because it seemed like such an adventure.

I did choose to stay in the dorms in the end. They sucked and sharing my personal space seemed revolting, but I only had one assigned roommate and we chatted on and off for a little while through emails to get to know one another. She wasn't so bad but chatting through email and actually living together were two completely different things. I wasn't ignorant enough not to know that at least.

For my last month in school, I worked on getting things set up for the move as well as keeping up with my studies and preparing for final exams. I needed things for the dorms like a desk, new laptop, bedding, wall art and other decoration like things to make it more comfortable and homey. That was all easy enough. I had things ordered online and shipped to Texas where the items were stored until I was ready to move into the dorm.

Clothes shopping was what I dreaded the most. It was apparent that Forks attire was not going to cut it in the heat of the South. It pissed me off to no end every time I walked into a store and had to try things on again and again to find the right size or colors that looked good together. It was one of the only times I wished Alice could be there to help. She'd have me sat down while she pranced about the store in a frenzied fashion, picking this and that for me to wear.

_You weren't even good enough to be her Barbie doll. _

_Not for her. _

_So?_

_I don't need them. _

_Sure…_

Thinking about Alice and the rest of the Cullen family only angered me again. Making concrete decisions to buy things only from Wal Mart and Target had me laughing aloud because I knew she would see it if she was looking. I hoped she was; evil bitch.

…...

Graduation day fast approached. The only two people in the school that I still remained close to was Angela and Ben. Her and I ended up as co-Valedictorians and worked on our speeches together.

As she read over mine, finally done and prepared, she smiled just a little. "You know, I think I might change mine a bit."

I turned to her shocked. She had worked damn hard on hers to get it perfect and I was glad to be first because I certainly didn't want to follow what she had written to begin with.

"Ang, you don't need to do that," I reasoned.

She shrugged and handed the paper with my ready prepared speech back to me. "Maybe not, but sometimes you should give credit to those who helped you, give praise and thanks to those who inspired you."

Confused, I decided to say nothing. I wasn't really positive on what she was getting at anyway.

Angela continued without missing a beat, "you inspired me a bit this year Bella. Your devotion and friendship mixed with the strength you had when Edward just up and left, well, it's awe worthy at times. I'm glad you're my friend."

I couldn't help but smile and I hugged her tight. She pulled away and I rose an eyebrow in a joking manner. "Well you could have made friends with Jessica or Lauren."

Angela gave a fake gag and rolled her eyes. "Please, the he he's and ha ha's they give off plus the constant need to spread their legs for anything in sight does not appeal to me in the least."

She was right. Most of the girls in Forks High were far too concerned with their appearance and who their latest fuck buddy or boyfriend was to care about school or their futures. None of them held much attention to be friends for me either. They just weren't worth the trouble or drama. Angela, Ben and I stuck together and we liked it just fine that way.

"Have you been down to the res lately?" Angela asked suddenly.

"No, why?"

"Oh, they're having a graduation party for their school, like a bonfire on La Push beach. What happened to your friend, what was his name?"

I rolled my eyes and popped a piece of chocolate candy into my mouth before leaning against the kitchen counter in her house and sighing dramatically. "Jacob Black. No we aren't an item. Never have been and never will be. I haven't even seen him since… well a couple months after Edward left he came around on and off for a while but that was it. The boys on the reservation are just as ignorant as the ones in Forks, except they hate the Cullen family more and never let me hear the end of it when I go there."

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly. Angela never pried too far. She only asked questions she thought I would be comfortable with answering and if I didn't reply, she didn't push. It was just another one of those things I loved about her. "I mean, you don't have to tell me," she finished.

I laughed. "Chill. Jake and his friends don't think highly of the Cullen family and certainly didn't approve of my relationship with Edward. They have their reasons and I'm not supposed to talk about that but yeah, that's basically the gist of it."

In truth, I knew what Jacob was. I had figured it out after months of research and mental ransacking of what he had once told me. When Jake's dad tried to tell everyone that he was out of commission with mono, I knew he was lying. The rest of the Quileute boys in the pack also had their 'out of commission' weeks as well. Every time I saw them after they were 'healthy' again, all had under gone major changes and had some serious issues with controlling their tempers.

"Pissing contest?" she smirked.

"No, I don't think Jake and Edward ever really met, not that I know of anyway," I answered honestly.

Angela decided the conversation had gone far enough and pulled out her laptop from her backpack before turning it on. "Back to the grinding board."

"You don't have to re work the speech," I repeated. "It was fine the way it was."

She shrugged. "No, not really. It was kind of the same as usual. It should reflect yours more." With that she was loading up her word document and furiously typing away again. I smiled and sat down beside her, listening to her chatter off ideas as she worked.

….

Charlie stood at the bottom of the stairs with a smile on his face, looking up at me as I walked down. The ugly yellow gown contrasted hideously against my pale skin but tradition was just that; tradition. I wore a simple blouse and pencil skirt underneath and had pinned my hair at the nape of my neck loosely, letting curled tendrils fall around my face. Charlie had insisted I wear heels because of the skirt so I did, but really I thought runners would work just as well. I did put on a little mascara and lip gloss for pictures and things. The girl who looked back in the mirror surprised me really.

I wasn't a teenager anymore. I had grown up mentally, physically and emotionally over the last year and I was appreciative of it.

"You look so beautiful Bells," Charlie muttered, holding back tears before he pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm so damn proud of you."

I hugged him back just as hard. I was really going to miss my dad once the summer was over and it was time for me to leave. He had been a rock for me since the Cullens left. He had been a confidant and a friend when I thought I had no one to turn to.

"I know Dad."

He sniffed a bit before pulling away and blinking while looking upward. "I invited Jake and Billy to watch you graduate and do your speech. I hope that was okay?" he finally asked cautiously, keeping his eyes trained upward.

I wasn't about to ruin the good day we were having by telling him Jake pissed me off and his father, on a good day, was no better. "Sure, it's okay"

Besides, I had some questions for Jake regarding things only his pack and vampires would know.

Charlie fingered the grey suit he had bought just to wear for today nervously. "You ready Bells? 'Cause I'm sure as hell not. You know, watching you grow up was something I thought I had missed out on but you let me into a piece of your life this year and you have no idea how much that meant to me. I know I haven't been around as much as I would of liked and I'm sorry for that but I'm always gonna be here for you, just like I have been this past year. I really am proud of you kid, so damn confident in your ability to survive in a crazy world and make something great of yourself. I love you, I guess that's what I'm trying to say."

Now he had me blinking back tears. "I know, Dad. I love you too. But yeah, I'm ready."

…..

Angela and I were called to the podium and I looked over the crowd as she stood silently beside me with a smile on her face. Charlie sat in the second row with Billy and Jake flanking each of his sides. Both wore equally huge smiles on their faces as they looked up at me.

I ignored most of the other parents, siblings, family members, friends and teachers in the room. I wasn't here for them. I had done this for me and it was my time to be confident in what I had worked for and produced from it all. I started my speech, not even needing to glance down at the paper because I had it perfectly memorized for months. I knew what I wanted to say and there wasn't ever a question regarding it.

"Hello fellow students, parents, family, faculty and friends. Thank you for joining us here on this pivotal day in our lives. As I think back on my days in Forks, I realized that from the moment I stepped into the parking lot, the path laid out for me was like a map. 'Follow here, go there, turn right and stop at the beautiful glass castle with the kings fool for a moment before moving on again'. But after today, our paths haven't been predetermined and laid out for all to see. This is the time for us to make choices whether they be good or bad, smart or stupid, healthy or hurtful. It is our choice, our option. We get to take our first steps into a world most have no idea about. Some will be thrust into worlds they are terrified of, where others already know what they want."

I stopped for a moment to smile at Angela who timidly smiled back. I knew she was nervous but once she started speaking it would all go away. She was like me, not used to the attention.

"I have decided to attend the University of Texas El Paso. It's just about as different as I could get from Forks. I wanted new beginnings, a fresh start and something just all out diverse to what I had become accustomed to because isn't that what life is all about; profound change? Making those decisions, taking the opportunities and learning from whatever consequences come from it whether they be positive or negative? This is my time to start my transformation into being whom I am destined to be. As each of us embarks on our new journeys, it is our time to get that fresh start, reinvent who we were always meant to be and accept our fate. I wish all of us luck and I'm sure to see you on the other side."

It had already been announced to the crowd not to applause until both of us were finished but my father couldn't help his whistle he let loose. I winked at him before stepping aside to allow Angela to take the podium. She leaned over and kissed my cheek lightly before turning to the audience.

"Bella already said the pleasant greetings but I would also like to thank and give our appreciation to everyone in attendance today. Sharing this moment in our lives means so much to each and every one of us, I'm sure. Having you here lets us know how much you do love us, how proud you are, that we are worthy of your time and that you have valued us, trusted us and helped us grow into the adults you always wanted us to be. So thank you, for sitting in this gym today and cheering us all on as we start our journeys in life. I will be attending UCLA perusing a degree in biological science. My new path, yet to be completely determined or finished is in California. As each of us take our next wobbly step into adulthood, I ask you one thing; let us do what we need to do, trust us enough to make you even more proud and happy to call us your own more than you are today."

Angela took a breath before looking back to smile at Ben who responded equally.

"Disappointment. That's what I'm most afraid of. Isn't that what we're all most terrified of? Disappointing our parents, our friends and even… ourselves. We get scared, paralyzed and afraid to take risks. Well today I'm making my first decision to put fear behind me. Today my fears have to take a back seat to the promise of my tomorrow and my future. Bella said it perfect. It's our time to do something stupid, be impulsive, maybe wild or crazy. We can blame our age when we get older, now isn't the time. Really, how many times have you heard people remark with a shrug, 'I was in college'. It's our time to be inappropriate it's our time to say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing so we can learn who we want to be. It's our turn to learn about life first hand instead of reading it in books, seeing it on television or getting examples from our family."

It went oddly quiet for a moment and Angela smirked just a little bit. I loved how she had written her part in the speech; she had worked hard and deserved this moment just as much as I did.

"Never give someone the right to choose your life for you; make that choice yourself. It's our turn to choose and you can be anyone you want to be just by opening up your eyes and looking around. When you get home tonight, look in the mirror and choose your future through your eyes. Desire it enough, work hard for it and when you finally make it, grab tight and never let it go. I love you guys, it's been great so let's say goodbye to this and hello to who we will be, who we can be."

Applause rocked the gym so loud it echoed again and again. Angela and I both hugged tightly as I heard my father, Billy and Jacob whooping and whistling while clapping loudly in the audience. I could almost feel Charlie's pride and I wanted him to know how important that was to me, but right now wasn't the time though.

A few more traditional things were said and a song was sung from the school's choir. The principal and vice principal stood off to the side and names began being called to stand up, make the walk across the stage, retrieve their diploma and become fully graduated. I watched the students go one by one and occasionally threw smiles over at my father.

"Isabella Marie Swan," came the voice over the microphone.

Applause shattered the sound barrier in the room again. I couldn't help but smile at everyone, but a tear slipped through when I saw my father wiping away tears of his own. I walked across the platform, shook hands with my principal as he handed me my diploma and moved my tassel from one side to the other on my cap.

"Best wishes, Miss. Swan. I expect great things from you," he told me before I moved on and back around the predetermined route off the stage, back around and then up on again.

The rest of the names flew by in a blur. The entire graduation class was standing as applause from the crowd started up again and the speaker finalized it all.

"Congratulations to the class of 2006, may you have all the luck in your future and we wish you well."

Caps flew into the air and mine was among them. We all ushered off the stage but I only felt the arms of my father wrap tightly around me as people gave their congratulations and praise. I wasn't interested in them; I just wanted to have my father close.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**This is where I take over the reins folks, it's just me VSPS as far as writing. Keep in mind I'm not as eloquent as Kriss, our styles may be a lot different, but it'll get the message across. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

_Dejando el nido_

_Leaving the nest_

Bella POV

After the graduation ceremonies Charlie, Billy and Jake took me to a small party that had been put together on the reservation. It was a very nice, simple affair. They had put up a tent on the beach with bonfires set up along the coast. There were piles of gifts on the table. I was truly humbled in their presence. They welcomed me with open arms when the Cullens left. They had their own secrets, but the information I held about the Cullens was insider information they could not gather on their own. I truly had a perspective that most humans could not have, unless they were dead. The reservation was abuzz when the news made it to them that the Cullens were leaving town. They celebrated their departure and would have thrown them a parade on their way out if it had hastened their exit.

Charlie approached me cautiously as I stood near a bonfire looking out into the ocean.

"Hey there, it's a nice party, huh Bells?"

I turned to look at him fully and gave him a big hug. "Yes it is dad. Thank you for everything."

Charlie looked down, embarrassed by the direct approach. "I just wanted to give you something that I thought you could use while you're away at college." He reached into his pocket and handed me an envelope. I started to open it and cut my finger just enough to cause a droplet of blood to form on my finger. As I stood and stared at the blood, thoughts of the Cullens and their leaving ran quickly through my mind.

_They will not break me. _

I put the finger in my mouth to remove the blood and then finished opening the envelope. As I pulled out the picture of a small red convertible car, Charlie explained. "Well it's not the truck. But since you'll be down there where there is lots of sun, I figured you could use some kind of fun mode of transportation. I've been told that it runs solid, a little on the aged side, but it's reliable and I paid for parking for a year. It should only be about a block away from your dorm."

I could feel the tears welling in my eyes. "Thank you Charlie. I love it."

"They said they would store it until you get there. I'm so proud of you kiddo. I love you."

As the emotions got the better of each of us, I could see a tear slide down Charlie's cheek as mine poured down. We didn't need to acknowledge that this was going to hurt when I left. We knew that our relationship was going to change, we only had a few months where I was still the kiddo and he was the daddy.

"It's been a long day dad, can we go home?" Too choked up for words he nodded his head in confirmation and turned to get the car.

We loaded up my gifts, said our goodbyes and thank you's and headed back home. I awoke to Charlie helping me out of his cruiser and him directing me to get into bed as I stumbled up the stairs.

**xxxXXXxxx**

I awoke in the early hours of the morning. The beginnings of daylight seeping in through my window and bringing a new start to the day.

Graduate. I am a high school graduate. I am a college freshman. My life starts now.

I quickly went through my morning ritual of getting myself ready. Jumping into the shower, I started humming a tune that gave me the happy vibes that filled my heart with joy. I couldn't help but smile as I thought of all the things I was ready to start in Texas. After finishing my morning ritual I went down stairs to start breakfast. I started the coffee and pulled out the ingredients for both Charlie and I. As I scrambled eggs and fried bacon I looked over to the kitchen table where Charlie had stacked my gifts from the party. There were several boxes that were all marked from Jake with smiley faces on them. I walked over to them and inspected them while breakfast was cooking.

Charlie came down the stairs and poured himself a large cup of coffee and looked at the gifts, "We're all going to miss you."

"Aw dad, let's not start out this new day sad. It's a good day."

"Ok ok," he smiled. "Whatcha got cooking over there?"

I laid out our breakfast and we both ate quickly, my happiness for the day seemingly rubbing off on Charlie as well.

He helped me open my gifts and record all the items so that I could send out my thank you cards later. Jake had inventively wrapped nine different boxes from him and Billy separately for items like, new accessories for my computer and pictures of the beach, along with a bikini, which I will probably never wear. It had happy faces all over it.

I felt so grateful for the wonderful people in my life that had come to my party to celebrate with me and for the gifts.

I stood up and cleared the dishes from breakfast and Charlie went into the living room and came back with two manila envelopes.

"These came for you yesterday." And he handed them to me.

The first envelope had a return address from Renee. She had fallen a few weeks before graduation and didn't want to try and fly with a broken leg. I opened it up to find a wallet full of gift cards. "Wow, there must be 10 gift cards for stores in here." I commented. Charlie looked over my shoulder to see the stack.

"Well it looks like you can get those new clothes you were wanting now." He sipped his coffee and smiled.

I set down the wallet and looked at the other envelope. It was smaller and well worn. The post mark came from Forks, odd. I opened it carefully to find a small black pouch. There was a small note on the back of a business card from an antique dealer from Seattle.

_Live, love, drink and be happy._

_Congratulations _

I didn't recognize the beautiful handwriting. But I knew; only vampires had handwriting that perfect. One of the Cullens just had to send me something to remind me that they were still around.

_Family. Leaving. Left behind. Whatever. Not going to break me._

As I opened the pouch a leather string with a silver charm slid out. The amulet was unusual. It had initials of D.G with the letter x below framed in a box. On the back there was an inscription _"Sabine Pass, Sept 8__th__ 1863"_ and then under it in very small letters was the word "Whitlock." I stared at the historical relic. I could feel the age in the amulet.

"Someone bought you an antique?" Charlie questioned.

"Evidently, it's an odd piece. I'll have to look it up later." I commented quickly. I knew it was from Jasper because of the name Whitlock, but I couldn't figure out why he would send me something so odd.

"The card wasn't signed?" Charlie asked.

"No and it was postmarked Forks. It must be from my history teacher. He knew how hard it was for me to get an A in his class." I quickly responded. Charlie seemed to buy it and dropped the subject.

I put the item back in the envelope to look at later.

**xxxXXXxxx**

As the summer continued on, I spent a lot of time with Ang. We tried to pack in as much fun as we could. This was likely our last summer together in Forks. I hoped that I could go see her in California or she would come to Texas next year. I'm not sure I want to come back to Forks. The farther away from Forks I can stay, the better.

My thoughts often returned to the Cullens, wondering how they were doing, but mostly wondering why Jasper would have sent me something so odd. Ang and I had planned a trip to Seattle in the next couple of weeks. I decided I would stop by the antique dealer and ask them about this item, as it had surely piqued my curiosity.

Tonight we were going to a party being held at the reservation. Jake had invited us out for their summer bonfire, the adults were out of town for a meeting and the reservation was going to be designated as party city for the night.

When we pulled up, there were several people who already gotten started. Paul and Embry ran up to meet us at the truck.

"Hey there hot stuff," Paul slurred, "the party is here!" He smiled big and then sat down on the ground looking happier than I can remember.

"He started a little early. Sorry ladies." Embry leaned down to help Paul up from where he sat. Pulling the bottle out of his hand he shoved it into mine. "Here take this. He needs to take a break before he passes out."

I looked down at the bottle. _Jack Daniels: Old Time, Old No. 7 Brand, Quality Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey_… Whiskey. I opened up the bottle and took a sniff and couldn't help the gag reflex that occurred when I choked on the smell. My eyes watered and I looked up at Embry and Paul who were laughing at me.

"That's a man's whiskey there little girl." Paul baited me. "Come sit with me, I'll show you how it's done."

I followed them down to the beach where Embry helped Paul over to a log where he waved me over to him.

"Give me that bottle, let's do a shot."

I just had to laugh, Paul was never the friendly sort and he was just one big happy drunk and I couldn't help but be drawn into his circle of joy. I handed him the bottle and he pulled a shot glass out of his pocket. I eyed it warily as he poured the amber liquid into the glass. He handed it to me and pulled another out of his pocket and poured himself one.

"To new beginnings and bright futures." He smiled.

"To leaving the past behind and starting over." I replied.

We clinked our glasses together and I watched as he threw the whiskey into the back of his throat and swallowed it down. Attempting to perform the same act, I poured the whiskey into the back of my throat and it immediately felt as if it was on fire. As I swallowed, it felt like it wanted to escape from my throat and as it hit my stomach my nose burned and my eyes watered. I coughed and hacked and kept myself from vomiting, but barely.

"What in the fuck did Jasper want me to have a shot of whiskey for? That tastes like shit!" I coughed and spat.

I rose to get something else to drink, anything to get that awful taste out of my mouth and Embry was there waiting with a cup of beer. "Here drink this." I drank it happily feeling the cool liquid that I could barely taste pour down my throat and soothe the assaulted skin of my esophagus.

"Who did you just say?"

"What?" I looked at him to find out exactly what he was asking.

"You just said a name, Jasper. Who is that?" He looked at me concerned.

"Um, uh, yeah. Jasper, he was one of the Cullens." I said on a whisper. All of the boys from the reservation looked over to me as serious as the day is long. I hunched my shoulders. "Sorry, it was just something he asked me to do for him when he said goodbye."

"What was that?" Paul spit out.

"That I have a shot of whiskey." I took another sip of my beer. "And I'm not really sure why, because that shit is nasty."

Paul smiled again and filled up the shot glass that I had deposited next to him after that sad display of gracelessness. "Try again," He said handing me the glass.

"Um no, that shit is nasty." I retorted.

"We need to talk, and you need more alcohol in your system. So drink." He raised his eyebrows. "It's better if you chase it." He shoved the shot glass in my hand and held up his own. "Down the hatch Swan, it's time we talked."

Paul and I eventually finished off the bottle. So half a bottle of Jack Daniels and six beers later we were sitting on the beach, staring out at the ocean, clinging onto each other.

"Rebecca left me." He said matter of factly.

"Ha! I not only ran off my boyfriend, but the whole Cullen family. Top that." I retorted.

"I didn't like them anyway." Paul snorted.

"Yeah, the whole wolf vampire mortal enemy thing, I get it." I said off handedly.

Paul jumped and looked at me with eyes wide. "You know about that?"

"Yes stupid. I've known about that for a long time."

"And yet you was still with him?" He asked me, while looking at me like I had lost my mind.

"I'm obviously stupid when I'm in love."

"So did you?" He wagged his eyebrows.

"Ugh, no! Not mister prim and proper."

"Why not?" He looked confused again.

_Not good enough. Not pretty enough. Not perfect enough. They won't beat me._

"I guess I just wasn't what he wanted." I got a little choked up.

"Aw Swan, don't be like that. He was just stupid. Given the chance…" he looked up at me apprehensively "I would."

"Really?" I asked, now suddenly curious.

"Yes. Definitely!" He answered quickly.

I turned to look at him seriously. "You do know that I'm a virgin right?"

That caused him to choke on his beer. "No fucking way?" He was searching my face for something and then whispered. "Really?"

"Really." I sneaked a peek up to his face.

He reached out and ran his thumb across my bottom lip and I could see the hesitation in his eyes. I quickly darted my tongue out to touch his thumb. The beer was salty on his fingers. He leaned forward, close to me, looking down to my lips and then back to my eyes, as if asking for permission.

I leaned forward and kissed him, slow at first. Slow, sloppy kisses. His hands went to the back of my head and fisted into my hair as he deepened the kiss. His tongue fought mine as I reached up and fisted my hands in his hair, trying to pull him closer to me. We continued to kiss like that, growing in intensity as I slid over on his lap, straddling him and I could feel his arousal against me. His hands traveled lower to my breast, he went under my shirt and squeezed my nipple.

The sensation of feeling forbidden and slightly painful caused my nether region to become impossibly hotter and wet. I started to grind against him as we continued to kiss and nip. If I could have pushed on his erection harder I would have and it felt so good. He broke the kiss and continued to kiss and nip down my neck as he pulled me closer.

"Get a room!" Someone shouted from the other side of the beach.

We stopped for a minute, catching our breath. Looking at each other, I smiled and started to stand on shaky legs. Reaching out my hand I helped him up, as we started to walk up the beach to his house. I knew where he lived, but I had never been inside. He stopped walking and pulled on my hand effectively turning me around.

"Swan, are you sure about this?" He was looking at me sheepishly. Seeking permission.

"I'm sure Paul. Let's go"

_Please don't reject me. Want me. If only for tonight._

I turned and he caught up to me, passing me, dragging me along the way. We ran up the steps to his house and straight down the hall to what I am assuming is his bedroom. He pulled the top cover back and then sat down on the bed, reaching forward, pulling me closer and putting his face in my chest.

"If at any time you want to stop, you need to tell me. I don't want to hurt you Bella, but I'm not sure if the first time is ever good for a girl."

I steeled my determination. "Try?" I said. "Please?"

"Yeah, I will."

He looked at me and his eyes grew dark. He was drunk as was I, but it didn't matter. We kissed and groped and trailed our tongues over each other's bodies. The heat in the room was enough to peel the paint off the wall and when he trailed his tongue to the apex of my thighs and dipped into me I almost came undone. His tongue parted my lips and delved into me, he growled and I could feel the sensations and tingling run into my veins. I fought it, trying to hold onto the sensations as he slid a finger into my pussy. My muscles tightened and I held on tighter. I could feel my mouth salivate as he started to move his fingers in me. He was licking and sucking on my clit and I could feel wave after wave of euphoric sensation hit me, and I held onto it like a tidal wave.

"Let go Bella, let it happen. Cum for me." Paul commanded from his position at my mound.

I leaned back and relaxed the muscles that were holding onto the sensations as my orgasm ripped through my stomach. I screamed out incoherent thoughts and nonsense until words could no longer be said. Paul pulled back and I could hear the condom wrapper open and I opened my eyes to see him rolling it on his cock.

He looked at me with a cocky grin and then became serious. "Are you sure?" he said as he hovered above me. I shook my head yes and he gently nudged into my opening, slick from my orgasm and his spit. He took a few short strokes until he reached my barrier. He leaned down and kissed me, I could taste myself on his tongue and as he moaned he thrust forward and tore through.

I yelped slightly and he stilled. "Keep going," I said breathlessly and he started to thrust. The pain that was associated with breaking my hymen had nothing on the glorious feeling of being filled and the friction that could be felt as his grunting became louder and faster.

I could feel my walls stretching and it wasn't a bad feeling and it didn't hurt, but the sensations that I felt earlier I could not reach. I moved with him, increasing his friction as he finally yelled out his release and collapsed on top of me.

He rolled off of me laying on his back, throwing his arm over his eyes. We both laid back like that, catching out breaths. An uncomfortable silence fell and reached down for his sheets. "Can I stay here until I'm not drunk anymore?" I asked softly.

"Yeah," He said softly. He rolled onto his side and looked down at me with a serious expression across his face. "No regrets, right?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "It's a little late for that now, isn't it?" He looked offended and I reached up and put my hand on his cheek. "No, no regrets. Still friends?"

I could see the relief spread across his face and a big smile. "Yes, friends. Friends with benefits."

We laid there with one another until we fell asleep. When I woke the next morning, he was still asleep, snoring loudly. I stood up feeling my head swim and my thighs ache along with other parts of my unmentionables that felt like they were on fire. Dressing quickly I hurried out to my truck and went home.

I sent him a quick text once I reached home.

_Thanks for being such a great friend, ttys. _

I had to smile in spite of myself.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Ang and I finally made that trip to Seattle. She had went to go look at a jewelry store and I stopped at the antique dealer. As I walked in, the dealer smiled as I showed him the card that was given to me. I pulled out the amulet and asked him of its origins.

"Yes," the man stuttered, "A gentleman came in here months ago asking for an appraisal of this very piece. He said he was going to give it as a gift." He nervously turned around and pulled out a folder in a cabinet below the display cases. "In here is everything I believe you will need concerning this piece." He handed me the folder and then turned away, looking back to me with a small shudder and walked down the aisle to the register.

I looked down to the folder and casually flipped through the contents, not really looking at it, just skimming through it. There were pages with Jasper's name on them and certificates of authenticity. I closed the folder to look at later.

I caught up with Ang who was walking with Ben, followed by Embry. "Look who I found?" She said happily. I knew they were trying to spend as much time as possible together this summer too.

We chatted and then Ang and Ben went on their way to lunch, leaving me and Embry. "Can we go somewhere to talk?" He asked pensively.

"Sure." I said with curiosity.

As we left the mall, I texted Ang to make sure she and Ben were riding home together and to let them know that Embry was with me. We started on the long ride home to Forks while Embry grilled me about vampires and wolves. Wanting to know exactly what I knew, but asking in his sweet boyish way. I gave him all the information that I could about the Cullens. Everything from the contents of their home, to the stories they told me about their hunting habits. How they moved from town to town keeping up pretenses and describing the vampires that were not like them. He told me about how he recently phased and how meeting a non-Cullen vampire was a disturbing experience.

"Yeah, he was a human drinker for sure. Bright red eyes, and he hissed at us like a cat. At that point our instincts just kicked in and we tore him to pieces. I'm glad now that I knew what the Cullens were when they were here. I think I would have been under the wrong kind of impression had I not met the crazy vampire we killed."

The conversation went back and forth, between vampires and wolves. And as uncomfortable as it made me to discuss the Cullens, Embry made me feel ok to be part of that world. Like I belonged and that I was worthy of the knowledge that we shared.

He had gladly skipped over the topic of Paul, as that was too personal, but making sure I knew that Rebecca was back in town. Keeping the conversation light, I dropped him off at his house and went home to get ready for my move.

I had downloaded one of those cheesy "Learn how to speak Spanish" programs from iTunes and had to laugh at some of the stupid phrases it continued to have me repeat.

_I'm hungry – Tengo hambre_

_I'm thirsty – Tango sed_

_I want more – Quiero mas_

_I don't want it – No lo quiero_

_Please – Por favor_

_Thank you – Gracias_

I'm feeling like a genius for taking the Spanish class that was offered in Phoenix. I took two years and even though this was really basic right now, I was remembering the basics quickly. I went out and found the next two levels knowing that if I wanted to shop any place, I needed to know enough Spanish to get around.

Listening to the program in the background, I surfed the internet about El Paso. It was right on the border of Texas and Mexico, literally a border town. The crime rate was pretty average and better on campus than in the town. It was my chance to go out on my own and be my own person, no way was I gonna show fear.

_They will not beat me._

I picked up the last couple of items that I would be taking with me and stuffed them in my suitcase and checked the boxes I had taped for Charlie to ship to me later on this week. I wanted to have as much of Forks as I could with me, even if I wanted to run away and never come back; I still needed to take some with me.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I carried my suitcase downstairs and sat it by the front door. I checked the contents of the freezer to make sure I had left enough meals for Charlie to eat for close to a month before he would succumb to going to the diner endlessly. Everything screamed final and never coming back. This was what I wanted right? To get away from Forks, to get away from bad memories, to start anew and to figure out who I was going to be.

_They will not beat me._

I could hear Charlie finishing getting ready upstairs so I stepped outside onto the deck and looked at the path that was in the back yard. I could hear a wolf howl in the background and knew it was one of the rez boys. I would miss them. I learned so much about myself from them. My talks with Embry to know my mind, to figure out what I really wanted. My time with Paul, learning my body and learning his. Even if we weren't in love, we had a fondness for each other and we had a lot of fun learning how to give each other pleasure. My time with Jake was a roller coaster of emotions. One day we would fight, the next day we would be best friends and then we would act like children on the last. We hadn't fought in the last two weeks and that was a good thing, it was a good day to leave Forks.

"Ready Bells?" I heard Charlie say from the door.

"Yep, it's time."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

_Un nuevo comienzo_

_New Beginnings_

**Bella POV**

The plane ride took what felt like forever; flying from Seattle to El Paso wouldn't take so long, but there were no direct flights and I had a stop over in Houston. When I stepped off the plane the heat was so overwhelming it took my breath away and instantly caused a sheen of sweat to break out over my entire body. The distance from Forks never seemed so far as when I inhaled that Texas air. Good riddance.

I hailed a taxi that took me to my dorm and I took those first steps into the building I would be calling home for the next year. For years I had taken showers that would scald my skin to help relax me, but walking into the air conditioned building was better than any shower. I stepped to the side and let people by just to feel the cool air hit my skin, feel the goose bumps raise, breathe in the air that didn't feel like liquid heat scorching my lungs.

I couldn't help but smile. This would be my new beginning. I walked up the stairs in search of my dorm room.

The stairway was packed with people. Families helping students move their items into our building. Some had trunks and boxes; others moved all their stuff in in garbage bags. As I trudged up the stairs and arrived at my floor, walking to my dorm room, the door was white and plain. It had a standard old door knob, regular key; I slid the key in and turned it, hearing the tumbler click all the tabs into place as it unlocked the mechanism. My lock, my new place.

_I win. My new beginning._

I opened the door and it wasn't what I would consider a large room, but it wasn't bad. The walls were a dreary grey, the floor was a speckled industrial tile, and it had a drop ceiling with the standard two by four tiles with the off white color. The beds were slid one on each wall, with the door opening right into the middle of the room. Each bed was a twin size but the mattresses were striped grey and looked old.

There were boxes along the wall, some were mine marked with "SWAN" written in black marker and more boxes marked with "EDWARDS". I had known her name before walking into this room but I hadn't been prepared to see anything that said his name on it and I was temporarily stunned to see boxes spell out EDWARDS SWAN next to one another. Thinking about how far I was from the grace and beauty of a swan caused an unladylike snort to come out of me as I walked further into the room. The door had a closer on it and the door clicked with a resounding swish and then a soft click as the latch slid into place. This caused the sound from the hallway to cease to exist. The silence in this room was comforting and disturbing all at the same time. I took a deep breath and picked the bed to the left side of the room and sat my bags on top of it and walked over to the boxes to sort them.

Just as I picked up my second box the tumbler on the door turned causing me to gasp as the silence was disturbed and the door opened allowing the noises from the hallway to flood into the space. A little boy with sandy blonde hair about ten years old came bouncing into the room carrying a neon pink bag yelling behind him as he swung the door all the way open.

"This is soooo cool Christina!" He screeched in a voice not yet mature. "I wish my room was this big." Then turned around to see me and jumped when he realized that there was someone else in the room. "Hey!" He said and waved as a petite blond walked into the room.

She was one of those girls that looked like she belonged on a poster in a garage somewhere. Blonde hair, million dollar smile, big boobs, small waist, cute little feet in sandals with perfect toes, creamy flawless skin that looked good without a tan but you could tell she had a small one. She didn't seem nearly this perky when I spoke to her on the phone or through e-mail. As soon as she spoke I wanted to smack her and call her Barbie.

"Oh my god, you must be Bella!" She walked over to me and immediately threw her arms around me. I stiffened and tried to hug her back, but couldn't put my heart into the gesture.

"That would be me," I smiled. "You must be Christina."

"In the flesh, this is my brother Andy and my mom Barb." She said with a big smile. I nodded and smiled at the people standing in our room, not really knowing how to proceed.

After a short awkward silence, I felt I needed to say something. "Nice to meet you. Do you need help bringing anything in?" I offered, trying to keep a smile on my face.

"No honey," said the honeyed voice of her mother, "she had everything shipped here just like you. Wonderful idea by the way." She winked at me and smiled, instantly putting me at ease.

We fell into a shallow conversation about hoping that we had what we needed and that the room was in desperate need for a coat of paint and a good rug so we started to make a list of things we needed. We unpacked while her brother helped us with ideas and pointed out people outside our window. We were on the third floor so it gave us a good view from the window. I'd like to put a bench there to gaze out of on long nights and for reading.

As we unpacked, I was surprised to see that Christina and I had picked out a similar decorating styling. She had more pastels colors in hers, where I had more browns but they oddly worked together.

Once we had unpacked and settled in, her mom and brother left and we each sat on our beds and let out big sighs simultaneously.

"Wow, finally free." She said with amazement in her voice. She looked happy and scared at the same time. She looked at me and smiled her million dollar smile.

"Pizza and beer." She nodded, stood up and started to put on her shoes and then looked at what I'm sure was a confused expression on my face.

"C'mon Bella, we need to eat and have a drink. It'll be easier to get to know one another." She smiled and held out her hand to me.

I really wanted to not like her. She looked like a Barbie. She was beautiful and cute and everything I would never be, but we were together for a year. And I really wanted to make this work. She was just perky and happy, and so not like me in many ways, but then again; what would be the fun in having myself as a roommate, right?

I grabbed my wallet, put on my shoes and followed her out the door.

We got about a block from the dorm and I pulled out the key my father gave me, giving her the most devilish smile that I could muster.

"What's that?" She asked as she grabbed for my key, I pulled it up high, out of her reach.

"It's for my car. I've never seen it, other than a picture. Let's take it for a spin first." I smiled. We walked over to the garage and I opened the door with the key they had mailed me with my dorm key and pulled the door open. Inside was a red convertible Chrysler Sebring. It was fun and sporty. Obviously something that Charlie picked out for me, but it was a new start. Christina squealed and ran to the passenger side getting in and closing the door before I even started to walk to the driver side door.

Smiling and keeping my enthusiasm in check, I walk over to the door and slid into the seat. The engine started with a nice purr and I pulled it slowly out of the garage and got out to close the door. Pulling out of the lot, I got to the gate and unhooked the latches and pushed the button that retracted the roof.

We drove down the street and around campus for about an hour before we finally relented with growling bellies. Christina took a picture of me standing by the car and sent it to me. I texted it to Charlie and to a few of the guys in La Push; they would all get a kick out of it. I pulled the car back into the garage, and we set off on foot to a campus pizza shop. I couldn't take the car anywhere on campus, parking was too limited and I preferred to keep it safe in the garage. The drop top was a nice added touch.

We went for pizza and she used a fake ID to buy beer and we snuck it back into our room. We sat and talked for hours getting to know one another. Making plans to decorate, places we wanted to go, things we wanted to experience. College was going to be such an experience for the both of us. We had so many similarities, although she was much more of a risk taker in that respect. She had lost her father to cancer a couple years before this and since that time she had taken a lot of unnecessary risks that had actually left her injured and with several surgeries under her belt. She showed me a couple of her scars but I had decided not to share mine. There was too much to explain and I just wasn't going to go there.

I had booted up my laptop as we each surfed the internet to look for more items for our small shared room, dividing up the cost of items we needed. Finding quite a few of the stores close by; we planned our trip after our classes tomorrow.

I had drank more than four beers and had a little buzz going on, organizing my desk and trying to get everything in its place; I noticed the file that the clerk had given me at the antique shop. I casually flipped through the pages and found the courier typed appraisal from the shop. I looked in the file where I had placed the envelope with the amulet in it and pulled it out, looking at the old piece of metal. Looking back at the papers, I felt like shaking my head as I read the number and looked at the relic in my hand. The appraisal said the piece was worth from approximately Forty to Fifty Thousand dollars. My mouth felt dry as I looked at this item. Why would Jasper send this to me? It had to be the oddest thing for him to send me something worth so much money and that held so much history. I tried to read the file but as I found history so boring, my eyes were getting heavy as I tried to take in the information. I put the amulet around my neck trying to give myself a reminder to get a safety deposit box and keep it safe. Maybe he thought I might need to sell it to get money for college?

The Cullens. Always trying to make me feel unworthy.

_They will not win, this is my life._

As my eyelids got heavier, I turned the radio on to a Mexican station; my new place was so close to the border that there were several to choose from. I laid in bed listening to the news reports of missing persons, the reporter told of hundreds of families that were missing members. At least that's what I though they said. I drifted off to sleep listening to the reporter.

**xxxXXXxxx**

I awoke with a start as my alarm buzzed in my ear and I fell out of bed; trying to jump to my feet as soon as I realized where I was. Christina rolled over and looked at the clock mumbling something incoherent and then pulled the pillow over her head but was still talking.

I dressed as quickly as possible while she had the pillow over her face and was trying to get a brush through my hair when the alarm went off again. I reached over and turned it off while Christina mumbled something this time about coffee and curtains around her bed. She rolled out of bed and walked over to her wardrobe pulling out a little outfit and started to change, I turned quickly trying to give her some privacy realizing that sharing our personal space was awkward for the both of us.

Once we were both dressed and ready, we ran down to the mess hall to get coffee and breakfast, realizing that coffee was more important than anything; we quickly pulled out our list and added that to the shopping items. We needed coffee and creamer.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Classes for the first day were interesting. I had declared my major upon admittance; Sociology, the study of humans. Funny I know. But this would allow me to choose an undergraduate degree that could branch off in a hundred different directions should I choose to go for a graduate degree. And if I didn't, I could venture anywhere. I loved the possibilities that it presented.

Most of my classes consisted of general education credits to start. English, math, speech and biology. Nothing too earth shattering, but the textbook expectation of classes for first quarter of classes in college. It was exciting even if it was boring. I loved walking across campus, even if it was hot as hades and humid as a sauna. But it was NOT Forks. This was new and fresh to me.

_A new start, a new me. This is fucking awesome._

As soon as classes were over I ran over a block from campus and hopped into my car. I was waiting by the door when Christina got out of class. She was talking to a dark haired guy, shining her big smile. I could see them exchange numbers and then she turned to walk back to our dorm. I honked the horn to get her attention and when she saw me, she ran to the car. I already had the top down and was ready to go get our stuff. She jumped in over the door, sliding Duke style into the seat.

"Hey ya ther roomie, thought we could go shopping and get some of the stuff we need. It's a beautiful day and I wanted to drive my car again."

"You're driving sweetie." She leaned her head back, tightened up her sunglasses and took a deep breath.

I drove us around for a little while before we pulled into Target. We put the top back on and went into the store to get some of the items we needed. It was a super target so we picked up some food too. A stop at Sherwin Williams and a quick detour by McDonalds and we were good to go. The car was loaded with the seat folded down, trunk as full as possible. We unloaded the two big items in front of the dorm and then I pulled the car into the garage and loaded as many bags as I could carry into my arms and headed back to the dorm. Two more trips to my car with Christina and it was fully unloaded. We sat back and ate our McD's surveying all the items we picked up.

"It's gonna take us forever to get all this put away." Christina sighed.

"Nonsense. You start taping off the room, I'll assemble and put away. We paint tonight, then we can relax tomorrow." I said matter of factly.

"Ok, then we hit the bars on Friday then."

"Deal."

So we busted ass. She had the room taped off for painting in an hour and had started painting before I even had the bench, table and chairs and floor lamps assembled and all of our stuff put away. I grabbed a roller and we had the room painted brown and dark pink on alternating walls. We had the curtains and blinds hung and the rug rolled out before nine that night. We rearranged the room three times before we found a happy arrangement that each of us could live with. We even put up a curtain in the corner for dressing which was nice.

I sat back and turned on the radio again for background noise and pulled a cold Dr. Pepper out of the mini-fridge. Taking a large drink and feeling the cold burn slide down my throat, I exhaled a deep satisfying breath.

I understood the radio to say: _We have interviewed our tenth family that has had a member of their family go missing. _The reporter said. _My son left seven days ago, he has a phone. He said he would call me when he was somewhere safe. He was crossing the border for work. He has done this a dozens times_, the frantic woman said.

I turned my head to look at Christina and she wasn't paying attention to the radio. "Did you catch that?" I asked her.

"Um, something about someone being missing?" She looked at me over the edge of her book.

"Yeah, that's what I thought it said." She shrugged her shoulders and went back to reading her book.

I opened my laptop and Googled the radio station. They had pages and pages of links for missing people. One of the pages had a link to help to stop human trafficking. More links revealed that in just one week there were more than forty people missing, and last week were just as many.

A conversation that Emmett had with Carlisle came to mind upon hearing that.

_We could always go out and capture what we need and keep them in a livestock area Carlisle. We could section off the areas for predators and the herbivores. It would be easy to do. Then when we wanted a quick meal, it would be real close. No hunting._

No hunting; odd thing how the mind works.

I continued to listen to the next person they interviewed while searching another item on my computer. There was a man by the name of Jose, from when the nomads were in Forks that came up missing. He was an illegal immigrant and the US authorities took a report and I remember Charlie saying that they didn't assign resources to non-taxpaying citizens. The search turned up nothing more than a line in the Seattle newspaper from two years ago. But it just confirmed what these people on this radio station were saying.

Vampires. They were here. Human hunting vampires.

Stay out of the south.

His words echoed in my ears. I reached to my chest and pulled on the amulet he had sent me. I took a deep breath and tried to search my memory of anything the Cullens had said about human hunting vampires. I could always call someone in La Push, but they would send someone down here in a second and I really don't think they would be where I would be. Afterall, they are taking immigrants.

I jumped up, gathered my shower supplies and told Christina where I was going before heading down the hall to the rows of stalls. Taking the quickest shower in history and making a mental note to get something to spray down the stall before I take a shower I dressed in my night shorts and T-Shirt and headed back to the room.

Christina was fast asleep with her book still on her lap. I slipped it from her hands and laid it on the floor next to the bed by her backpack. I made a quick call to Charlie letting him know I had settled in, driven my car twice, been to classes and was doing just fine. He seemed relieved that I had called rather than just sending texts as he was never really fond of sending messages via text.

"Are you really doing ok down there Bells?" He inquired with deep concern.

"Dad, I'm really doing fine. I have a roommate and so far we've gone everywhere together. We have a fridge and a coffee pot. We bought groceries. The walls are painted. It's all good." I tried to reassure him.

"Ok. Just be safe ok?"

"Ok dad. I gotta go to bed. I just wanted to call you. I missed your voice. I love you."

I could hear him choking up, glad he was on a phone and I didn't have to see the emotion in his eyes. "Good night Bells. I love you."

Then the line went dead. Ok, so I did miss something about Forks.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Thursday night was spent reading our assigned texts, sending out e-mails, pictures of my car and just in general catching up and chilling out.

I was enjoying the moment. I was sitting in my own place; even if it was just a dorm room I shared, on my own, in college. Even if I knew it to be partially true, I kept thinking, all grown up, over and over in my mind. It felt good to be in charge of my own destiny for a change.

I found that Christina didn't sit still for long. She was in and out of the room at least five times today. She didn't like to be still too much. And she had a serious crush on Antonio Banderas. It was the accent she told me. She said it wasn't healthy to have a thing for accents in a border town, but hey, at least her choices were plentiful.

She had been out talking to many of our fellow dorm dwellers to find a bar that had dancing and wasn't too far. Since we had a car we had more choices, but we didn't want to be too far. I would obviously be the designated driver on this trip, but that was fine with me. It was good to be out.

So not in Forks anymore Toto. Thank God.

I turned on my radio again and settled into bed, quickly falling asleep. It was a good sleep, I heard Christina breeze in at some point but I just snuggled deeper into my bed and took in my rest.

Friday mornings were the best. After my cup of freshly brewed coffee I went down to the mess hall where they served up pancakes and sausage. Christina had decided to sleep in as neither of us had classes today. But I had rested well and she hadn't. I went through the food line and got a big stack of pancakes and some sausage. I turned and recognized a couple people sitting at a table that I recognized from one of my classes and sat down with them.

We struck up an easy conversation talking about family, hometowns, majors, what classes we were taking. I had mentioned that Christina and I were going out tonight and they told me where they were going, which happened to be the same place we were.

After breakfast I went back up to the room and woke up a very sleep Christina. She was very appreciative of the coffee but was still not at the persona of the perky happy person she presented to the world. It took some time to put that face on I discovered. She needed at least an hour.

I sat down and waited patiently for her to become the happy Christina sorting through my books and papers making sure they were in order. I started to sort through my clothing choices to see if I had something to wear to the club. I pulled out four or five different combinations of tank tops, halters and shorty shorts. Then I looked at my shoe choices; I had flats, boots and one lone pair of heels that I bought just for an occasion like this, so that I had a place to wear them.

Christina saw what I was doing and perked up slightly and started going through her clothing. She pulled out a short skirt and a tank top and pulled out a frightening pair of high heels. The spike on the heels alone could be considered a deadly weapon, not to mention that I would never ever be able to walk in such things.

"Awe come on and try them on," She tried to encourage. "What you have aren't even heels, B."

She slipped them on my feet and gently pulled me up. I stood five inches taller and my ankles wobbled and I grabbed onto her shoulders with a laugh and a shriek.

"Take a step B. Just one," So with her holding onto both of my hands, I took a wobbly step and then another.

"Ok. Ok. I did it. Now take them off." I grabbed onto the edge of the bed and sank onto the soft surface and she slipped them off. "Those are deadly weapons of severe fallibility." I laughed.

"Wear the boots, B." She winked at me.

I spent the rest of the day stopping by the library and then went to the garage and took my car out for a spin. I drove by the garage that had checked out the car for my dad and thanked them for their help and asked about what kind of maintenance schedule it needed. I drove around some more, keeping pretty close to campus. Christina text me so I stopped by and picked her up so we could scope out the bar we were supposed to be going to go to tonight. It looked like a dump. So we drove up to the second choice and it looked even worse.

Ugh.

After making note of the best route to take we drove back to campus, parked the car and stopped for a bite to eat at the Flying Tomato. They had a help wanted sign in the window and I asked for an application. While we ate I filled it out and turned it in, the manager happened to be in and interviewed me on the spot. I apologized for my appearance but got the job anyway. A couple of evenings a week, one weekend a month, free pizza while you were working and a fifty percent discount pizza once a day if I wanted it, nine bucks an hour. I start next Wednesday for training.

Christina was giddy with the information about the fifty percent off pizzas. We headed back to the dorm and got dressed for the bar. She looked like a cute vixen. She had curves that I couldn't manufacture and her blonde hair was bright and cheerful. I did what I could with my appearance, but knew that she was where all the eyes would fall.

We showed up at the bar just as dusk had fallen. The place was starting to fill up but hadn't quite gotten to full capacity. My new friends from breakfast were there and we all stood back and did a little crowd watching from the bar. They all ordered a round of drinks and I got a Dr. Pepper.

Christina was in her element here. She garnered attention from more men than you could keep tabs on. I watched her, trying to understand the ease in which she moved around the bar. I saw her stumble backwards and turn and talk to a lean looking man with a big cowboy hat. He had a grin that caught my attention; it was a sexy grin that drew me in. Christina turned around and talked with him for a few minutes. He pulled her hand up and kissed it.

How dreamy. I think college has gone to my head. That is so old school romantic.

Christina turned around and was making a b-line back to our group. We were dancing in our spot but not out in the main dance area. The sweat from the bodies moving all around this room was starting to fill the air, creating an environment that reminded me of sex.

It had been awhile. Paul and I had stopped having sex a little while after Rachel showed up. I thought it might be nice to meet someone new.

Christina returned from the dark haired cowboy. "Get me another drink please. That guy totally creeped me out!"

"He looks hot from here. What's wrong?" I asked.

"I don't know, B. He's hot. He's smoking hot. I wanted to lick him all over and run away at the same time."

"Well, he looks all kinds of dark and mysterious to me."

"Go talk to him, B. I can be weird about guys sometimes. Besides, he had a southern accent, not an exotic one." Christina waved me on as she took a big swig of her beer.

"Yeah, maybe in a minute." I comment to her. I looked up at him and saw him looking this way. I gave him a flirty grin and then smiled full on while giving him a good look at my backside. He lifted his face up just enough to where you could see his eyes and facial features. He smiled back. I could feel the pull to him but I stood back and watched him from the corner of my eye. He reminded me of Paul in some ways. Laid back, leaning against the wall; seemingly satisfied to watch the party instead of being in the middle. He watched the dance floor like he was looking for a piece of ass.

I wasn't looking for a one night stand. I wasn't looking for a long term relationship, but another friend with benefits would be very nice. The last month before I left was not as good as it could have been. Paul and I had a good arrangement, but his ex-girlfriend Rebecca, who was of course Jake's sister, came back to town. She wanted to hook back up with Paul, but he really wanted a relationship with her. He would come to me, but I knew that he wanted to be with her. Our sex was still satisfying, but I know he wanted to call out her name. I just needed to be with someone who wanted to be with me.

I glanced back up to the mystery man leaning against the wall. The music changed to a song with a heavy bass and wailing singer. I watched as he slowly pulled himself from the wall and looked for an exit, wincing from the music.

I walked over toward him as he turned to go toward the exit. The music was louder over on this side of the bar. I tried to call out to him but he didn't hear me. I reached out my hand and laid it on his arm.

"Excuse me…" my words were cut off by the smoke that surrounded me, but what was more alarming was the feel of the cold marble skin. I took in a deep breath and breathed in the black licorice and pine smell, knowing that I had stepped into a situation that I needed to be away from. I retracted my hand as fast as I could. The smoke disappeared.

All the missing border runners.

Countless families looking for people that immigration won't look for.

Families that can't get into the US to look for their missing loved one.

I looked up to his face looking for the answer I was trying to find, into his eyes that were now looking at me, red. Blood red. I looked closer into his eyes, making sure my mind wasn't playing tricks on me.

Vampire. Human drinking vampire. Fuck.

I turned to walk away and he reached his hand out and grabbed my wrist, just a little too tight. I looked back up to his eyes, wanting to beg for him to let me leave. Let me go. Seeing the dark smoke swirl and surround us again I felt the pull he had. Made me want to snuggle into him, but I knew better. I knew I needed to get away.

I could hear Jasper's words ring in my ear again…. "Stay away from the south."

I attempted to pull away from him causing my wrist to slip in his grip and he circled it. I could feel his cold skin move across the scar on my wrist. His cold marble hands laying on the bite scar causing goose bumps to immediately breakout against my body. He twisted my arm and looked at the scar. Staring down at it, he gasped and swallowed, letting go of me immediately.

He eyes immediately started to scan the room looking for the person or vampire that should be accompanying me. Looking for others I'm sure, not realizing that I was abandoned, cast aside, no longer worthy.

_They will not break me. I don't need them_.

As he continued to scan the room I knew this was my chance. I had to get out of here. I started to head for the door and Christine walked toward me, realizing the panic in my face.

"B, what's wrong?"

"Getting the fuck out of dodge."

"Why?"

I turned to look behind me and he was watching us but not following. His eyes bore into mine like he was looking into my soul. I could feel his presence within me. His smell was stuck in my nostrils as I grabbed Christine and dragged her out the door as she was protesting, but I would not abandon her. I turned to take one last look as I dashed out the door.

He hadn't moved.

Run. Run now. Run now and never look back.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

_Aguja en un pajar_

_Needle in a haystack_

**MPOV – you'll find out soon who M is… lol**

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><p><strong>Ok – before you read this chapter *READ THIS* there was a huge disclaimer at the beginning of this story; this chapter comes with a warning, no joke. There is some bad stuff this chapter, if this isn't your cup of Joe, stop reading. <strong>

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><p>The art of finding the right human is something I've been working on for decades. She likes finding the perfect specimen and then bringing them around to her way of thinking. She prefers men, men are easily manipulated with sex but we will see what the night brings. I need to find the right spot. This college tavern shows promise.<p>

The place is packed with warm bodies. It's another night with the sweat from these humans filling the air. There are fans blowing and an air cooler installed in this place, why can they not control their bodily secretions? Dancing, drinking, laughing, the sounds roaring from the sound system is not music that I recognize any longer. The beat is too heavy and the lyrics are too fast. But I will mingle and look to see what I can find.

I scan the room, keeping my head cast towards the floor shielding my face with my cowboy hat. A small blonde backs up to me and I look her over. Thin, very thin, fake breasts, white smile. She turns to me and smiles, but I can see her smile falter as the fear she has for me slams into her instincts. Her heartbeat picks up speed. Her mouth is parched as she takes a small drink of the beer she is holding.

"Hello cowboy. My name is Christina." She coos, regaining her composure.

"Evening ma'am. Name's Mike." I try to say in my best southern English. I reach for her hand, bring it up to my lips and lightly kiss the delicate back of her hand. She's warm, intoxicated and aroused, but there is no spark, no smoke, nothing. Her eyes widen and the sweat on her body secretes a fraction more as the temperature of my body registers with her slow processing brain, fear. I smile more.

"It was nice to meet you Mike, but my friends just showed up. I'll try to find you for a dance later, m'kay?" She said nervously. Without waiting for my reply, she walked away.

I watched as she met up with her friend. She was a brunette and was a little bit curvy, no fake plastic parts. Skin creamy and white, which is something you don't see on many humans around here. I see her and the Christina girl converse but there is so much noise in the room that I can not make out their conversation over any other one that is taking place. She glances over at me and I can see her smile, sexy and flirtatious. I would make my way over to her at some point tonight.

Several others walked by me and I constantly made contact with their warm bodies, their blood was appealing and their bodies enticing, but once again there was no reaction. A particularly loud song came over the speakers and I decided to step outside to get relief from the sweat and the sound just as a small hand gripped my arm.

"Excuse me…." She spoke, and I felt the reaction I was seeking. A wisp of smoke curled around her head and disappeared as quickly as it appeared when she pulled her hand back. She searched my face and looked me directly in my eyes. Her eyes narrowed and her heart rate sped up. She swallowed thickly as I saw her eyes soften and she turned to walk away. I reached down to grab her wrist as softly as possible without crushing the bones and felt the temperature difference. She pulled and looked at me with a pleading look as I saw the smoke curl around both of us, knowing that she held an ability. The venom pooled in my mouth as I felt her heart rate increase again, causing her jugular to pulse before my eyes. I turned her wrist to see what the area had on it when I saw the mark. The mark of one of my kind. I let go of her and scanned the room for another.

Where could they be? How many? I leaned back to the wall as I watched the brunette grab the little blonde and run out the front door.

As quickly as humanly possible I followed them out the door. I picked up their scent pretty easily and saw them jump into a red convertible car. Will these humans never learn? I stayed in the shadows and ran quickly along the roads following her scent and keeping within a close distance that I could see them if needed. She was driving frantically down the road, shouting at the blonde who was screaming back at her until she pulled the little car over to the sidewalk and the little blonde jumped out of the car and began walking in my direction. I quickly ducked into the shadows keeping myself hidden as she walked by and I could see her walking back toward the tavern.

She was inconsequential; I needed to find the brunette again. Breathing deeply I found her scent again and followed it until it reached a garage and then a brick building. I circled the perimeter of the building and several surrounding ones and detected no more of my kind. Who was watching her? Who would let her run free? Humans with marks were either property or had managed to escape a vampire. This human was special. She had an ability. Had managed to escape a vampire that had bitten her? Tucked safely away in the brick building I headed back to the tavern.

Finally situating myself back in my spot where I had previously been, I saw the blonde one as she entered the door, disheveled and angry. I approached her slowly and made sure that she saw me as I walked up to her.

"Christina, can I have that dance now?" I asked in the southern drawl that I had practiced over and over. I lowered my lashes and gazed deeply in her eyes until she had a far away look, knowing I had brought her under my spell I smiled softly.

"Sure, um Mike." She said with a shy smile, batting her eyelashes. "I just need to get something to drink."

"What can I get you?" I said carefully,

"Something cold." She smiled.

I approached the bar and gave the bartender the same treatment, earning her a cold drink with something blue and sweet smelling for a few dollars. I walked over to her and we sat down at two unoccupied barstools over looking the dance floor.

"Thank you," she smiled as she took a sip and then exhaled the sweet smelling aftermath of the drink that laid on her tongue. "Sorry about taking off earlier without the dance. My roommate, Bella, was acting all crazy and just being paranoid. I swear, letting these small town girls loose in a big city is a bad thing. She's scared of someone here in the bar and whoever it was, had her freaked the fuck out. She was acting like a lunatic." She took another drink through the straw, sucking on the liquid one more time before the drink made a slurping sound to indicate that she had finished it.

I reached out my hand; palm up, to walk out onto the dance floor as a slower song started. Couples were making their way out to press bodies against one another and sway. We mimicked their movements and she gazed into my eyes and her heart beat began to slow as I pulled her in closer. When she was relaxed and pliable I started to ask her questions.

"So, what is your roommate's name?"

"Bella Swan." She smiled.

"Where do the two of you live?"

"The dorms at UTEP, building 2, 3rd floor, room 308." She advertised.

"How many of you live there?" I inquired.

"Just us two."

"Does she have any friends down here watching out for her?"

"Nope she's all alone. Came down here from Washington." She is easy to give up information. Which I don't mind.

"Does she have anyone around here that she knows?"

"Nope, just me."

She continued to answer my questions as I posed each one to get enough information to go and make sure that she was what I thought. Usually I only need to touch someone once to know when they are special, but touching her twice I knew, I knew that she had something. Maria would be pleased.

As our dancing ended and I walked away from the dance floor, I whispered in her ear. "Gracias por la danza." She looked at me as I slipped into my native tongue and she snapped out of the spell she was under.

"Wait, Mike, where are you going?" I didn't say another word, just walked out the front door to observe this new specimen that had presented herself.

I entered the building and became familiar with the layout that night. There was a janitor's closet and a stairwell that had storage. Every floor had them, but this building also had a basement, I hung out in the building for 3 days waiting for them to leave again together. It was early evening and the sun was not shining in the hallway so I entered their room quietly and looked around for information about their protector.

I scanned her room and looked for clues, there was not a scent of a vampire anywhere in this room, one had never been in this room. There had to be something here. I've watched this girl from afar, she didn't seem to have the skills to out maneuver a vampire. Her ability frightened me, had she killed a vampire as a human? Had she ran them off? Or was it a chance encounter where someone bit her and left no venom?

It was time to take this to her, she needed to make the final decision. As I left Bella Swan's room, I grabbed a frame of photos from her desk. She was in several of these pictures; this would let her know if she wanted her there. As I stepped out of the room I rubbed on the door and the beds to leave my scent, to mark my territory should another vampire approach her. If they wanted Bella, they would have to answer Her. The whole southern United States was Hers and an introduction would be made if they tried to take Bella from Her.

**xxxXXXxxx**

I approached the compound with my highest speed, arriving in my designated area. I stood with my head down and waited for her to arrive. She would be pleased with me. I will be rewarded with great abundance, bringing her treasures. I have to believe that she will approve. It is not often I am gone so long. I can hear her in her chambers; she has bathed and was combing her hair when I arrived. There is soft music playing in the background, she is feeling exotic today. There is a steel drum and a guitar in the music. I close my eyes and imagine her daily preparations, she is elegant and beautiful. Her red eyes enhanced only by her dark hair and pale complexion. I would follow her anywhere; I would do anything she needed. Her rewards are splendid.

But the consequences of displeasing her … they cause a shiver to run down my spine.

"Miguel, you may enter now." She purred from the other side of her door.

I approached slowly and turned the knob softly walking into her chambers with my head lowered and the picture frame in my hands. I could see her feet as she walked over to one of her decorative chairs in the sitting area and she sensuously seated herself and waited for my approach.

I went down to my knees and walked over to where she sat and waited for her to give me permission to speak. She was taking in my appearance. I had been gone for nearly 4 days and had not checked in. I heard her inhale deeply and then hold out her hand for the picture frame. I handed it to her and listened to her hum while she looked over the pictures.

"This is a lovely collage of pictures Miguel, I am now curious. You may speak."

"Mistress Maria, I have found potential in the girl you see before you for some kind of an ability. But more curious than that, is that she bears the mark of a vampire on her wrist…"

"A mark?"

"Yes, mistress. A vampire has bitten her and she survived. Her blood is warm and her eyes are brown. She has no foul smell and she does not outwardly possess any kind of ability that would harm us. I have stayed near her residence for the last 3 nights and her vampire protector has not followed her here."

I waited for her to respond while she looked over the pictures. I did not dare to look up at her in the eyes while she processed this information. This was a new rule she had given me. I had only been out of the punishment hall for a year and I had no intention of going back anytime soon. Our memories would never let us forget, but the experiences …they are ones that you would purposely do something you didn't like, just so that your thoughts did not wander to those harrowed events.

"Did you detect any scents from vampires where she lived?"

"No mistress."

"Very well then, take Helen with you and bring her to me."

"Thank you mistress," I rose up and walked to the door.

"Miguel, you may go to the nourishment room and have your pick. Take your time, enjoy."

"Thank you mistress," I said as I headed quickly to the hallway where I could smell the humans, their hearts beating on the other side of the wall.

I arrived at the doorway and found Roberto reading while guarding the door.

"Maria says that I may have my pick, to take my time and enjoy."

Roberto smiles wide; "You did good yes? I would suggest the fifth stall on the left. You will enjoy, just your type." He said with a wink and opened the door quietly.

The humans inside the stockade were asleep. It was very late and I could walk undetected and inspect each sample as I pleased. Maria was very pleased that I had brought her a potential treasure, but more importantly she wanted me satiated so that I did not mistakenly hurt what she now considered Hers.

Nearing the fifth stall, I appreciated Roberto's opinion more than before. It had been years since I had seen someone that appealed to me more. Nestled on the straw was a pale thick bodied blonde, with pink lips. She was wearing a top that was clearly too small for her, but it mattered not. I simply leaned down and picked her up, her eyes growing wide as she looked at me; but did not make a sound as I carried her out of the stall.

I walked down the hall, giving Roberto a wink as I passed him and he chuckled lowly. I looked down into my prize's blue eyes as tears streamed down her dirty cheeks but she did not make a sound.

Arriving in my chambers I took her to my bathing area and sat her inside the steel tub. She stood quickly and gasped as I tore her clothing from her pale body. Failing miserably, she attempted to cover her large body with her arms. She was a gloriously pale cream with large breasts that bounced as she cried; tears streaming down her dirty cheeks making pale streaks through the dirt that now dripped off of her chin onto those gloriously fat breasts. I reached forward and softly caressed one as she squeaked. She looked into my eyes and then closed hers as she broke out into a sob.

"Shhhh, now my little treat. I could have had anyone and I chose you. You are my premio tonight."

"Am I going to die?" She choked out through her sobs.

"Yes. You will die tonight, but we will have fun before then, yes?" I turned on the water at the spigot and tried to get the water warm enough, but her body was not expecting the lower temperature and goose bumps had broken out on her skin. Her nipples stood tall and hard; I pulled the sponge out from my cabinet dipping it into the water and then pouring the soap from my bottle right onto her breasts. Attempting to move me she pushed on my hands as I rubbed on those beautiful mounds.

"Enjoy this my little premio or it will become rough, yes?" I said harshly. Speaking in English, but laying my native Mexican accent on heavily.

She stopped fighting me, but the tears and the whimpers continued. I paid them no mind as I continued to wash the offensive body secretions from her skin. The light was low in my chambers and her skin was aglow in such an atmosphere. I gently as possible poured the soap into her blonde hair and began to wash.

"Sit." I commanded and she lowered herself into the water. I pulled her hands up to her head, "Wash." And she began. She closed her eyes and the tears continued to stream down her face as she scrubbed her hair, causing her mane to become bubbly. I grabbed a cup from the side and dipped it into the water and poured it over her head as she continued to rub, the soap cascaded out of her hair and down to her body, sliding slowly over each curve and mound. I handed her the sponge and helped her stand as she washed her large body. I sat down to watch as she rubbed the sponge over her curves, watching it jiggle as she scrubbed the dirt and filth away from her flesh.

She continued to wash for a long time and I allowed her to buy this time. Each time she would wash her intimate area I would get a whiff of her scent. I disrobed and started to stroke myself watching her wash, feeling my arousal grow higher, I walked toward her and stepped into the tub. "Wash me," I said as she turned and looked up at me. I continued to stare into her eyes until she was calm and no longer crying. I gently took her hand with the sponge and moved it over my body while I put her other on my cock, allowing the water to create a small bout of slipperiness as she worked me.

Her heat was intoxicating and as long as I continued to stare into her eyes she was pliant and sedated. I leaned in and ran my nose along her neck and kissed her collarbone feeling the scorching heat run along my lips.

My hands went to her breasts and I twisted one nipple softly and heard her moan. Looking back into her dazed eyes, I lowered my mouth to take in her erect nipple and watched as her eyes widened but continued to stare in a trancelike state at me.

Her hand tightened around my cock as I sucked on her breast. I allowed my teeth to graze her skin just above the nipple. Smelling the blood hit the air, I leaned back and watched it drip down the curve of her breast, onto the bulge of her belly and then slide down her skin into the folds of her skin at her thighs. I pumped my cock into her hand and as I felt her grip loosen; I looked into her eyes and she had started to focus some more and I pulled her chin to mine and stared deeply, pulling her in and softly kissing her lips. I blew a little bit of my air into her face, mesmerizing her again.

I kneeled down in front of her and began to lick the blood that freely ran down the front of her body. She tasted wonderful and I moaned at the taste. I inhaled deeply and licked the pool of blood that had gathered in her belly button. Starting at her thighs, I smeared the blood across both thighs and into her pussy. Trailing my hands across her soft flesh, I smeared the blood across her belly and over her breasts to where she now appeared a creamy red dessert. I slowly and softly inserted my fingers in her pussy, smearing the blood everywhere that I touched. I licked and sucked, gathering all the blood I could, making sure to dip my tongue into her pussy lips as she stood; smelling her when she became aroused against her will, a small whimper coming from her voice box. 'The smell of salt in the air alerted me to the fact that she was crying again. After I stood and took a long pull from the bleeding scratch on her breast I breathed into her face again, and lifted her to my bed. I leaned down and pulled more blood from her other fat breast and then spread her legs wide and gazed at the feast that lay before me.

I could no longer wait and enjoy, it had been too long since I had stolen the pleasure from a human while I drank from them. I leaned forward and drove my cock into her pussy feeling it sear my member from her heat. Blood was present there as her feminine tissues tore. I could no longer hold back as I grabbed her hips and thrust into her again and again. I felt her hip bone break and heard her scream as I continued to tear her skin and break her bones, but my tension was too high. I pumped and pumped into her feeling the glorious friction and feeling my orgasm rip through me as I sank my teeth into her and drank.

Her sounds died from a scream, to a whimper, to moans, to a low babble. Her heart still beat as I continued to pull from her. Sealing in one area before biting on another and pulling blood from her large body. My cum was in her, blood pouring from her body. Much of her was deformed from her bones breaking, but she was still beautiful. Her heart stuttered slightly and I leaned down and pulled from her neck the final amount she could give me.

I looked over to her beautiful, dead, broken body. This memory would need to last me; I had to deliver for Maria. She rewarded me with things that I could never get on my own. This was what I lived for; pleasure, blood and Maria.

I walked down the hall to retrieve Helen and then notified Stephan that there was a corpse in my room that needed to be disposed of. Helen smiled at me as I licked my finger gaining one last taste of my sweet fat angel.

**xxxXXXxxx**

Time to retrieve Bella Swan.

We ran swiftly through the night, it would be early morning soon and we needed to get into the building before dawn. The Texas sun was unforgiving when it rose, it was bright and blinding. Being spotted in the daylight was a painful event, even for a vampire. Our reflective qualities not only ousted us to the humans, it also could be spotted from far away. Clearing populations like that caused the humans to flood into the area and snoop. We did not want that again.

We arrived at the building before dawn and I showed Helen all of my regular spots. We decided to take Bella during the evening just as dusk settled on the horizon. We might get lucky and catch her as she was going out to her car. We settled into the stairwell storage compartment and watched out of the mesh window at all of the students that came and went throughout the day. Helen and I would speak quietly to one another about which human would be the most fun for which activity.

Helen had an affinity for all humans and her preferences were few. A heartbeat and non-diseased blood were her only requests. Male, female, black, white, brown, she didn't care. She had a way of getting pleasure from any human. I had the pleasure to watch her on a few occasions and it taught me the art of playing with my food. When time permitted, Helen was the type of artist I tried to mimic. Someday I may ask her to watch and give me some feedback on what I could do to keep my patience in check, so that I could manage to keep my human alive for more than a few hours. She was able to maintain her desires and control for days.

But Helen's real talent lay in her ability to make you want to follow her anywhere. She could persuade a whole group of people with only a few words to do as she asked. She could get more tour groups and border jumpers into our stockade than any other vampire. The rest of us could only manage to persuade one at a time, but she was mesmerizing with hordes of humans. Her ability worked on vampires too, but the effect didn't last as long and it took a lot more work, but still mighty effective.

As dusk approached we waited for Bella to come back to the room. She arrived and we could hear her talking to her roommate. They were planning on going back out tonight, but this time to a movie. Perfect.

We waited until the coast was clear and we stepped out of the storage compartment and straightened our wrinkled clothes. As they exited their room, I could hear their chatter was not friendly as Christina continued to chastise Bella for being paranoid. Funny.

Helen stepped forward and turned on her charm. "Hello girls." They both turned her direction and they both looked her up and down. Bella stared at her eyes, instant recognition coming across her features. "You need to come with me. Go downstairs and get into your car."

"Ok." Said the little blonde immediately. Bella's head snapped to look at her with wide eyes.

"No. Go away. I don't want your kind here, please just leave." Bella retorted back to her.

"Get downstairs and climb into your car, it's time to go."

"Go where bitch? Listen, if you're here for the Bella smorgasbord, just go ahead and take a sample, but make it quick, we have a movie to go see."

Helen looked at her confused, losing focus and letting the little blonde out of her trance. "You have to do as I say. Now go downstairs and get into your car."

She crossed her arms and looked Helen directly in the eye. "No."

Bella turned to walk back into her room and pulled the little blonde inside with her. Her heart beat was erratic and I could hear her pull out her electronic phone. I heard her pushing numbers and I approached Helen quickly.

"What happened?" I looked her over as she stood there scratching her head in the hallway looking quite bewildered.

"She didn't listen. She didn't do what I told her. What is her ability?"

"I don't know. We need to just grab her and go."

I could hear her phone as she continued to push buttons. I grabbed the doorknob and turned it slowly crushing it in my hand as we stepped inside quickly. She looked up at me as I entered the room and her shoulders slumped. She sat down on her bed and looked at me, causing Helen to tell her again.

"Go downstairs and get into your car." I could tell that Helen was really concentrating on telling Bella, but it was not having the desired effect. I'm sure half the campus was downstairs and sitting in their cars by now, but Bella wasn't moving unless we moved her.

She sighed before speaking, looking back and forth between the two of us. "Listen, I can tell you are trying to do one of those mumbo jumbo Jedi mind tricks on me. I'm broken in the head and that shit doesn't work on me with people like you." She smirked and looked off into the distance.

"Ok then Bella," she stiffened upon hearing her name, "you will be going with us. It is your choice as to whether we move you forcibly, where you know that we could slip and accidently break your arm off, or you can go of your own free will."

"What about her?" she nodded over to the blonde.

"She'll be going with us." I stated plainly.

"Ok then. Am I going as a snack or for some other purpose?"

I smiled to think of the fun that Helen could have with her. "What kind of purpose?'

"I'm going to assume information, since you've seen this." She held up her wrist, where I could actually see two distinct bite marks. She had been bitten twice and survived.

"We will ask you questions, but it will be Maria that decides if you live or die." Helen said shortly, annoyed that her ability was not working and more irritated as the conversation continued.

Bella turned and started stuffing random items from her room into her backpack, walking over to the blonde's side and doing the same to her backpack.

She turned to look at us as she reached for the door handle, "Ready to go?"

We arrived at the compound in the darkness of night. Her car was a cute little thing but Helen pushed it off a steep hill where it landed into a ravine that would take hours for a rescue crew to look over the wreckage. It was a little disappointing that it didn't explode. But we accommodated Bella's request to fake her death as best as possible without a body.

As we waited for Maria to approach, Helen and I assumed the positions that she had designated for us. The blonde was still mesmerized by Helen, but Bella was not and we would need to let her know as quickly as possible.

"Enter my lovelies; I hear the sound of two healthy heartbeats!"

Helen and I entered dragging Bella and the blonde into her room. Helen and I had our eyes downcast but the humans gazed about her quarters freely.

She approached Bella quickly and looked her over carefully through squinted eyes. Maria grasped and inspected a piece of jewelry that was hanging around her neck pulling her forward.

"Where did you get this?" She snarled.

Bella cringed back and answered softly. "It was a graduation gift."

"From whom?" She snapped.

"My ex-boyfriends brother."

"What is your ex-boyfriends name?"

"Ed…. Edward." She stuttered.

"Edward what, girl?"

"Edward Cullen." She said firmly.

"And who was his brother?"

"Jasper Whitlock."

"Excellent." And with that, she rounded her and pulled her neck to be fully exposed and sank her teeth into her soft creamy flesh.

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><p><strong>AN: Anyone who left me a review after last chapter and I said I was going to update on Wednesday…. Well, it's Wednesday, just not the one I thought. No excuses. If you have your PM's enabled, I'll send you some love like last time. Love ya - Vic<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. Not gonna stress this anymore. And AS PROMISED (you know who you are... posting on Friday...enjoy.)**

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

_Bienvenido a la jungle_

_Welcome to the jungle_

**Maria POV**

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><p>My dear Miguel brings me potentially talented humans very infrequently. His gift was discovered accidentally, but it turned out to be very beneficial to me. With a mere touch of his hand, he knows if a human will be gifted or not. Gifted vampires, or ones with abilities, are the ones I seek now.<p>

Keeping all of my unique treasures happy and satisfied, gets easier as each one is integrated into the fold. Keeping them loyal takes more effort, but it's not impossible. Our team gets stronger and more confident with each addition. Making us a stronger unit, keeping us woven tightly together.

Miguel and Helen will be bringing me a new human that he believes has much potential, but what is more amusing, she bears a mark. An ownership mark. Was she someone's whore? Was she a feeder? Was she attacked and survived? It brings so many questions. I am intrigued for the first time in years. What if she has an ability to kill vampires as a human? Who would I have to sacrifice to get her to a vampire state?

I snap my head to the right as I hear them approach, two strong heartbeats.

Two…hmmm. I smile to myself, could there be potential for two special vampires? Or is this someone important to her? Their smell is intoxicating. They are clean and their blood is thick in their veins, with a heart pumping strong. Blood. I have just fed, but it was only a small man. He was one of the many border crossers we had captured last month, a large group. Helen always delivers.

Let's see what Miguel can deliver today.

"Enter my lovelies; I hear the sound of two healthy heartbeats!" I walk over to my settee but decide to stand while they enter.

Miguel and Helen enter the room with their eyes downcast, heads bowed, and pulling two beautiful girls into the room.

The blonde one looked at me and then around the room. Her blonde hair shining from my lamp that hung from the ceiling. She was in a daze; I'm sure as a result of Helen's gift. She was thin, and had breast enhancements placed under her flesh. As she breathed you could see the implants move unnaturally. She would barely be a snack for someone she was so small, but I wanted to wait and see what Miguel had discovered.

I ran my eyes down the form of the brown haired, brown-eyed girl. She was exquisite, too beautiful to be here. My defenses were immediately on alert as she looked me directly in the eye, she was not afraid and she knows what I am. What kind of power will she hold? I looked over her features carefully, she looked tired but you could see a determination lurking behind her eyes that most of us would be jealous to possess. Giving me a stare down, she looked me over as I had her; her heart beat sped up slightly as she looked away and glanced at the room. She looked over my chambers quickly and glanced at my possessions briefly folding her arms in front of her, exposing an amulet hanging around her neck.

That was a Davis Guard Medal, the only medal ever awarded to the American Confederacy during the Civil War. There were only forty-one men that received that medal and one of those very few served under me.

_Deserter. Betrayer. Traitor. Rat. JASPER._

With my anger I tried to keep it in check so that I did not snap her neck immediately. "Where did you get this?"

The brown haired creature before me retreated and whispered. "It was a graduation gift." Finally showing the fear she should have had upon entering the room.

Graduation. School. How did she get this from a school? It had to be Jasper. That traitor was leaving his trinkets for me to find, rubbing it in my face to let me know he still existed.

"From whom?" I seethed.

"My ex-boyfriends brother," she answered back quickly, looking into my eyes and then casting her eyes to the ground like Miguel and Helen.

"What is your ex-boyfriends name?" I ground through my teeth.

"Ed…. Edward." She stuttered.

My patience was wearing thin with this girl's response. "Edward what, girl?" I growled.

She squared her shoulders and looked me in the eyes. No fear, no shame, "Edward Cullen."

The yellowed-eyed coven from the north? The freaks of the vampire nation? That is why she is still alive. I leaned my head back and laughed out loud. The echoes of my laughter rippling throughout my chambers and I could smell the slight sheen of sweat that had broken out across her skin. Someone slipped, someone lost control. I smirked knowing that it must have been my Jasper. He always loved blood sport. Loved to savor the willing human. How many times had she been fed upon? Is this her ability, maybe, that she could not be turned? I looked at her carefully. The Cullens were not known to take in a vampire to see if they fit, they took them in forever. She was no longer special, she wasn't protected, she was cast aside. The vampire freaks didn't want her around anymore, they abandoned her. "And who was his brother?"

"Jasper Whitlock." She said with a desperate breath as she exhaled. She looked me in the eyes. She held affection for him. She shared something with him. She was important to him and she does have something about her.

_There's a sucker born everyday_.

"Excellent!" I smiled, and whirled around to the little brown haired girl and leaned in to sink my teeth into the soft flesh at her jugular; tasting the sweet blood that was clean and fresh, crisp and flavorful. She tensed her muscles as I pushed venom into her and tried to pull away as I again sank my teeth into her wrist. She watched me as I bit over the mark that was there from another, making her mine. She was mine; she would be my tool, my toy. They deserted her and had no idea what she may have possessed.

She screamed out as the venom started to burn down her neck and in her arms. The sound waves hitting my skin and caressing me in her pain. I could only smile.

I sank to my knees and yanked her skirt up and bit into her femoral artery pulling on her hardy blood again. I let it roll over my tongue, enjoying her life's blood as I swallowed and savored. She let out another painful scream and tried to push on my shoulders with no avail, it only caused her to start to lose her balance. I took another long pull of her blood before pushing as much venom into her leg as possible before standing and picking her up, moving her to my bed as she cried out from her burn.

I looked over to Helen and Miguel who were still standing in the positions that they should be in and I walked over to the blonde, who now had her eyes cast downward and had broken out into a trembling sweat. "Take her to the stockade, but keep her reserved for… what is her name?"

"Bella Swan."

"Damn, that is a disgusting sweet sounding name. What is her full given name?" Her little nickname sounded so sweet it made me want to spit the word out on the floor.

Miguel rifled through a backpack that had fallen to the ground and pulled out some kind of plastic card. "Isabella Marie Swan is what her registration says."

"Isa." I contemplated out loud. "Isa I can work with. From this point forward she is known as Isa. Now leave me to watch her burn." They quickly exited my chambers with the blonde in tow.

I sat on my settee as she started to writhe on my bed. She had started to kick and grab the sheets with both hands, a sheen of sweat forming on her skin. I took in a deep breath and I could smell the salt from her tears as they ran down her face. Her blood was so clear, reminding me of the freshness of dew on a cool spring morning. Crisp like an apple; but hearty like cold milk after a hot day. She made me angry without provocation but I didn't care. She was going to be mine.

I watched her for hours; kicking, screaming, crying. Her pain was beautiful. Her tears were mesmerizing. Occasionally, I would reach out and use my nails to scratch her skin, watching the small amount of blood seep from a wound. It would never produce much blood, but I would gather the drop or two on my finger so that I could savor her taste. I had to change positions several times so that I could see the pain cross her features. She would have open-mouthed screams and whimpers. She would clench her teeth and grab the sheets trying to fight through the pain. Her breathing would quicken and she would gasp for air, her pain was sublime.

_I did that. My venom. My bite. Mine._

So infrequently could we cause pain to humans for such an amount of time. Eventually they would just die, there could only be so much blood taken from their fragile bodies. Their pain threshold was disappointing; many would lose consciousness after only a few broken bones. Those humans were not worthy of real play. However, watching them go through the change, watching their pain for hours and days was something that was lovely. The pain a human goes through during their change is divine.

However, Isa, she has moxie. She is going to be a superb soldier. She tries to fight the pain. She fights against the scream, she fights the cries. She feels. The emotions cross her face with such definition. I could almost feel them with her.

Emotions. How I hated emotions now.

I snapped my fingers twice knowing that Stephan would be nearby. Any time a human was taken into chambers he was close for cleanup should we need it. Human remains became rather disgusting if left to linger for too long. Miguel found him merely ten years ago and his ability has never been discovered. We tested him for two years and could not find what he could do that was special, but Miguel's ability told us that there was something about him that was different. Stephan is loyal, and a good fighter, strong. He is the best cleaner I have ever had, and his desires are easy to satisfy.

Whenever I feel the need to be dominated, Stephan can do the job properly, without letting the temporary power handed to him get in the way. He is commanding and forceful. His punishments are exquisite, but his touch can turn to velvet in the blink of an eye. I should have him perform more frequently and I cannot think of one reason why I do not request it more often. I will do that soon.

He appeared at the back door of my chamber. "Please prepare the newborn suite", I looked over to the bed where Isa lay, "we have a new member."

"Yes, Mistress Maria." He looked over to where she lay and I could see that he desired her, his eyes pooling to a dark black and he smiled.

"She is mine Stephan, but I could use your help in… acclimating her into the ranks, if you would like."

"Oh yes mistress, I would like to help you with that." He glanced over to me with a large smile on his face. Stephan had never challenged me, never betrayed me and had always followed my orders. Of the vampires I know, he is the only one who has never been disciplined and never had to spend time in the punishment hall. He is the only member of our entire group that has a perfect service record. I gave him a nod and he ran off to prepare her room.

I pulled my settee closer to watch her writhe. She was barely mumbling now, cursing and only breaking out in the occasional scream. I heard her moan out a name that sounded like "Whitlock" and I stood over her, staring down at her tattered clothing and the watching the small wounds heal that marred her pale flesh. With each flex of a muscle, the venom would push further through her system, causing her to wish for death, crying out, but she does not cry out like I would wish. Hearing Jasper's last name again only fueled my desire to end her change and to crush her skull, but if she possesses something really special, I will keep her here and really make her mine. I only need to find what she desires and then use that to my advantage.

She began to shake and to swear again. I walked over and placed my palm on her cheek. The coolness of my flesh must have felt pleasing to her as she leaned into my touch and she exhaled deeply. When I pulled it away she cried "no" and I slapped her lightly on the cheek. But her cheek was already hard and it had no effect.

I ran both of my hands down her exposed body and felt that her flesh was hardening nicely and she would be the desire of the men in our compound. With the addition of Isa to our ranks, this would bring our total to 10. That total was a little on the high side, but with the talent amassed in my army, this should be acceptable.

Stephan arrived back in my chambers and stood there awaiting instruction.

"You may take her to the newborn quarters Stephan. She still has less than a day left of her change and her cries are exquisite if you would care to watch her writhe?" I looked over to Stephan, who slumped his shoulders ever so slightly in disappointment.

"Yes mistress," he responded. But I knew he wanted her. I teased him a little further.

"Is there something with Isa that you desire, Stephan?"

He lowered his head and looked up to me with an impish grin, his red eyes sparkling and causing his long black hair to fall into his face. "Yes mistress, but it is of no matter. What pleases you, pleases me."

I walked over to Stephan, slowly circling him, putting my hand on his chest and walked behind him, pulling his body against mine as I whispered in his ear. "You always please me Stephan. How can Isa please you in her current condition?" I felt him stiffen and his muscles twitch as he smiled and whispered back.

"I would like to take pleasure from her body during her burn. Not to break her or mark her mistress, only to find release, if it pleases you mistress." He said with such thick desire that I could feel him tremble.

Knowing that he had enough control not to kill her, I leaned forward and licked the shell of his ear and whispered. "As you wish Stephan, but don't take too long. Her burn will be over soon and she needs to be secured."

His tension was palatable as he smiled wide and walked over to where Isa lay, still writhing and moaning. She was so defenseless and helpless, _so human_. If she does not turn out to be useful, at least Stephan would have derived some pleasure from this effort.

"Thank you mistress." And then he raced out of the room.

_Let them have their fun._

There was a small knock at my door and from the scent I knew it was Helen, I granted her entrance. She came in and described the events upon Isa's retrieval. I found it very interesting that she had the capability of blocking Helen's talent. She had never seen a human that was able to do that, nor had I heard of one. We discussed the possibility that Helen was losing her talent, but she assured me that it worked on the other human they brought with them. She was quite certain that Isa was unaffected by her ability, even if she had never seen it happen in the past. She turned and left quietly to deal with this blow to her ego, as I could tell that it disturbed her greatly.

I sat to ponder if she could block Helen, what else could she block? Miguel's ability worked when he touched her. So we were quite certain that there was something there. All of this information was quite puzzling.

I walked back over to look at the picture collage that Miguel had brought me. There were nine pictures in total. She had several people that were smiling and happy in the pictures, and in one of them was a police officer. Some were Native Americans standing next to the ocean, one an old beat up truck. She was in a couple of them but most were of others. In all of the pictures there were humans and there were no Cullens. How long ago did they abandon her? I recalled the bite mark she held before I covered it with my own and it was not fresh, it had been quite long healed over. I needed to check to make sure that there weren't any vampires that came looking for her, specifically those yellow-eyed freaks. I doubted they had the nerve to come to my compound looking for a human they cast aside years prior, but it never hurt to check. There would be humans looking for her however, so I needed to make sure that they covered their tracks well. We would keep her backpack and this picture frame in a safe place should I need it for bargaining power or awards later.

After this kind of excitement, I am sure the compound was abuzz with activity. Glancing up to the windows mounted high in the room; I realized that it was nearly dawn.

I announced that I would like to gather everyone in our common area through our intercom system. I could hear everyone as they quickly finished their tasks, closing books, two of them had been in the training room and they had stopped their sparring match. I heard a chuckle and then someone get dressed. Their footsteps descended upon the common area.

As everyone gathered, I knew that Isa's change would be complete within a very short while. Stephan had arrived smelling of her, a wide smile across his face as he took his spot among the ranks. The group looked ready to take on any challenge that was set before them.

"As you should be aware by now, we will have a new member in our ranks shortly. She will be called Isa, short for Isabella. We know that she has the capability to block Helen's gift as a human, so her capacity of blocking I hope will follow her as a vampire. After her first feeding, it is expected that we will run her though the gauntlet of testing; strength, speed and if possible, her ability. Any punishments that will have to be dealt out need to be relayed to me; as I want to know where she stands and how compliant she has or has not been."

Hearing a thunderous crash come from the area of the newborn room, I knew that she had awakened.

"It is time." I announced and smiled.

Outside of her room I could hear her panted breathing and heard her rushing from one side of the room to the other. "Isa? Isabella? I'm going to enter your room now." I commanded from the other side of the door when she did not answer. My two strongest soldiers, Carlos and Ronald flanked my sides as I entered.

Inside this room was a lot of hay where she had been lying while she changed. You could smell the sex in the room immediately upon entrance where Stephan had entertained himself with her and her clothes were in tatters. Her skirt had been ripped off of her body and her shirt had been shredded, but remained on her frame. She shifted, as did Carlos and Ronald, seeing their reaction she backed up to the wall and hissed at them.

"Who are you?"

"Isa, I am Maria, your commander and these two here are Carlos and Ronald. They will be your trainers."

She backed farther up against the wall. "Who is Isa?"

"You. Your name is now Isa. I don't care for the name Isabella."

"My name is Bella!" She shouted. I approached her quickly and slapped her face, knocking her down onto the ground. She jumped up quicker than I believed her capable of and started to hit me when Ronald stepped in between us and took the hit. He then quickly grabbed her arms and restrained her.

"You will be called Isa here. Bella is dead." I purred at her. Ronald turned and held her arms behind her back which let her breasts thrust out, her belly and below on display for everyone to view. I walked up to her cautiously and ran a solitary finger from her chin, over her amulet, down her belly to the hair on her mound. The venom from Stephan's activities lingered on her skin, temporarily distracting me. I smiled and looked back at Stephan who was at the doorway watching our interaction with a smile on his face and an obvious arousal in his eyes. I would seek him out later. I turned back to Isa.

"You are my soldier Isa. You will do as I say. You will do what I want you to do, or you will be punished. Do I make myself clear?"

She froze and looked at me. "Am I a prisoner here?"

"No, you are not a prisoner. You are my soldier, and it is expected that you follow orders."

Her eyes darted from spot to spot around the room and she inhaled deeply, her eyes changing from bright red to black almost instantly. It registered as I heard the heartbeat outside of the door. "It is time for you to feed Isa. After you feed, we can begin your training."

She stood stock-still and said nothing. I took that as compliance and gave Roberto the command to bring in her first meal. As he walked in the little blonde, I could hear her heart beating rapidly and she cried out "Bella" when she entered the room, running to her and throwing her arms around her neck as she was still being held by Ronald and Isa leaned over and sniffed her neck before stiffening and turning her head away from the girl.

"Christina, get away from me. They want me to eat you. Get away!" Isa shouted. She looked at me and growled. "I will not feed from humans. Bring me an animal."

I rushed to her and slapped her across the face. I reached down and ripped her tattered clothing from her body, dragging my nails down her chest and onto her belly. Twisting my wrist so that they found purchase in the skin at her belly I leaned in and growled into her ear; "Do not ever tell me what to do. I am your commander and you will do what I say."

"I will not feed from humans." She held her chin high in the air.

I smiled as I walked over to the human; she shook in fear as her eyes stared at me. She backed herself up against a wall and tried to retreat. I grabbed her roughly causing her arm to snap and she screamed in pain. Her pain was being echoed in Isa's expression as she watched me with her. I leaned down to smell her and she was healthy and heady. I nicked her neck causing the blood to trickle down and I once again dragged her in front of Isa.

Venom pooled in her mouth as she took in the aroma of the blood that hung in the air. She closed her eyes, stiffening her body. I nodded to Ronald and he released her arms. She backed away from where I was holding the girl.

I leaned forward watching the terror cross her features as she backed down onto the floor. "You will not drink animal blood like those yellow-eyed freaks! You are a soldier in my army. You will do as I command. And you are going to feed on this girl!" I yelled at her.

Isa balled herself onto the floor and began to sob. "Please? Please don't make me kill her."

I released the human from my grasp and she fell to the ground and began to cry. I growled as I circled her, keeping my pace slow and menacing. "Oh you will kill her and hundreds of others Isa. You are a killing machine. You are made to live off the blood of humans and you will enjoy it." She looked up at me, frightened. "Smell her blood Isa." I tempted.

She sniffed so slightly and then the venom drooled down her chin. She tried to swallow it back but I knew it was burning her throat and she gagged and spit it out on the floor. "No! Please?" She pleaded weakly. The blonde-haired woman's blood had barely trickled out of her neck, so I reached down and ripped her skin some more causing the blood to run down quickly as she cried out. Tossing her at Isa she collided with her arm causing blood to splatter all over Isa. A large drop had landed on the back of her hand and she stared at it. Leaning forward, she smelled the scent and her tongue darted out to taste the droplet. The black pool of her eyes swirled and her instincts kicked in as she began to shake and looked over to the blonde.

_Success. Blood lust. Treasure. Ambrosia. Sustenance. Death._

She choked out the words "Please forgive me Christina," and then she pulled the blonde to her. Her fingers sank into her flesh and her teeth sliced through her neck with so much force that her head was barely attached to her body as Isa drank greedily the blood that was pumping out. The gory scene caused me to release a small growl as the blood hit my senses. She drank what she could get and continued to bite and try to pull on the small body that was mutilated and crushed. The heart had finally stopped and Isa licked up the blood on the body and across her own, like a cat cleaning up spilled milk. Her bloodlust subsided for a moment, her eyes returned to bright red and her senses returned to her. She looked at the corpse of the girl that had once been her friend and choked back a sob. Taking a deep breath she tossed the remains to the side and pulled her knees up and rested her head and arms on them while her body trembled with the cries she tried to hold back.

_Step one complete._

"Why did you make me do that?" Isa looked up at me, asking pitifully.

"Because you needed to feed and she came in with you. You are _my_ soldier. You are under _my_ command. There is no one outside of this facility waiting for you. Your human life is over. You are dead to the world outside of this compound. It is time for you to understand how this world works, Isa. You will do what I want, when I want, how I want. or you will pay. Comprende?"

She looked around the room and then looked at my soldiers flanking my sides. She took in a deep breath and nodded her head.

A satisfaction rumbled deep within my chest. She just might be useful after all.

"Welcome to Reina del Sur Company." I said and then walked out of the room leaving Ronald and Carlos to start with the first lesson.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok, this was the chapter I came up with the story for… well really; I just wanted to write Maria. How did I do? You know the drill… Love ya - Vic<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 8**

_La existencia es una supervivencia de diferentes_

_Existence is a different survival_

**JPOV**

….cause I know you have drool dripping down your chin waiting for this

* * *

><p>We're leaving Forks; leaving Bella and going somewhere new. It was a slip, a mistake. We didn't have to vote her out of the family. Cowards.<p>

The guilt that I am constantly feeling over my slip is at war with the feeling that something was weird about that night. I can't put my finger on it right this second, but there was something. I play it over and over in my mind. Alice felt so many different emotions during my slip, Edward felt so many too. They conflicted, they were twisted. I've played the sequence of events over and over in my head. In slow motion, in micro motion, trying to figure it out. It's so frustrating; there are moments of joy and relief that should not be there. Anger, frustration, disappointment, terror, panic. All of those I understand. Not sure if it matters, it was my fault.

Each time I play the scene in my mind, it just makes me want to stick closer to Alice. To think about every situation before I make a decision and try to make the right one, for her. Always for her.

_She is my salvation. She keeps me safe. She keeps me from screwing up. _

We have moved to Illinois this time. It's just as gloomy as Forks. It would have been much better to move to Alaska. Less humans, more wildlife. Illinois is nice and it's closer to Edward's childhood human home that he had bought years ago. Esme will be happy with being able to remodel and renovate this house. Her touch on our homes is always so comforting.

I don't have many memories of my human mother. Mostly, I have snapshots in my mind. I remember her hanging laundry on the clothesline, her cooking in the kitchen with a yellow apron, her face when I told her I was going to join the army. I remember her being proud of me, I remember when she would give me a hug, they were the big bear hug kind that would whoosh the air out of your lungs. I imagine she smelled like Esme, like sunshine and flowers.

Esme was unpacking some of the boxes for the dining room that came from our house in Forks, she had wrapped the crystal candlesticks in bubble wrap to keep them from getting damaged and was gently unrolling them and sitting them on the buffet.

"Can I help you with anything Esme?" I asked.

She looked over to me and smiled, pulling me in for a one arm hug to her side, looking at the buffet. "I was just unpacking a few of my fragile items Jasper, but you are welcome to help."

So in slow silence we unpacked the few fragile items she had in the dining room boxes. Crystal candlesticks, wine glasses, crystal stem wear, china plates, saucers and teacups. And as we pulled them out we wiped them off with a washcloth to remove any dust from the trip. Esme never wanted her mother's china to be dusty.

She held up a plate and I could feel the sadness and hear the sob that escaped from her throat as she looked at it. I walked over to put an arm on her shoulder and I could smell that the plate had been recently used. There had been human food on the plate. I sent her some understanding and kissed her cheek.

"Turkey and bacon sandwich, potato chips and an apple. That was the last thing I fed Bella." She took a deep breath trying to calm herself to no avail. She took another and looked at me as she set the plate inside the cabinet. "Please excuse me Jasper, I need to go for a run." And as quick as a flash she was out the door.

_Guilt. Pain. My fault. Abandoned. We voted her out of the family._

I flashed back and played that evening through my mind again. All the sadness, desolation, unworthiness that flooded from Bella was enough to knock me down, but when it turned to disbelief and anger, it made me want to shout and scream. A small growl escaped me as I continued to stack Esme's plates in her cabinet. I slowed my movements down to slower than human speed, almost in slow motion so that I could concentrate on the action I was performing, instead of the incident that caused all of this again.

I had finished unpacking the plates and at the bottom of the box was a lace tablecloth, one that looked to be very old. It was Esme's as well. I turned to look at the dining room table that we had brought from Forks and there was a tiny fingernail mark in the tabletop. It was in Bella's spot. My mind flashed back to where she had pounded her fist on the table top when we had kicked her out of our family.

I pulled out the tablecloth and put it neatly on the table, covering up the flaw.

"Yeah, we just keep covering everything up don't we?" Edward said from the living room, where he was sitting and reading a book. The bitterness and irritation coming off of him in waves made me want to retreat into a hole and hide. He closed the book with a loud 'whop' and walked into the kitchen. I turned to look at him as he entered the room but couldn't look him in the eye.

"I believe it was Esme's mother's tablecloth. It seemed a shame to hide it in the buffet." I simply stated.

"Yeah bullshit. You're always screwing things up. We're always fixing it for you. Man up Whitlock." He growled as his words dripped with the anger he threw to me.

"I'm not the one who voted my girlfriend out of the family." I retaliated. I envisioned the ways I could attack him, tried to plan on a way to end his misery. We had all suffered leaving Bella behind. But Edward was alone again and was in bad shape. Since we had left Forks he varied from depression to anger to a heartbreaking loneliness. There were no words that I could possibly say that could make up for the hurt I caused.

"I didn't attack her and try to kill her either!" He roared at me. Anticipating what I had wanted to do, he shifted his body to protect himself should I try to attack him.

Alice came flying into the room with a lot of anxiety; she was sending me calming vibes while giving Edward a look and no doubt sending him some thoughts. Edward smirked my way, waving his hand in the air. "Oh lookey here, your savior is here now. All is well, go soak up your happy." He snorted out with as much sarcasm as possible.

He would bring up my bloodlust issues now at any moment. He blamed me for everything bad in Forks; it was my fault and it put me on the defensive constantly. I had no ground to stand on, there was no defense for my bloodlust. I just wasn't as good at being at veggie vamp as all of the other Cullens, but I will work on it everyday for Alice. Alice was looking at me with her eyes pleading and sending me desperation and a little bit of desire.

We hadn't been intimate for a month. She hadn't been in the mood to fuck and I hadn't been in the mood to make love. As far as companions go, she's really good for me. She's a good wife, she's loyal, she's loving, she's always watching out for me. But we have sides of our personalities that just don't mesh. I know that she enjoys being a trophy wife on the arm of a war hero, but I believe that she may have played up my status too much. But when Alice is happy, I'm happy.

She looked me up and down and I knew that's what she wanted. She wanted to be worshipped and she wanted to be loved. All I wanted was a good fuck. She held out her hand and I took it, seeking my salvation as she sent me waves of desire. She wanted me. She was the only one, but she wanted me.

We walked out the door, passing Esme on the back porch. "Everything is unpacked, you can rearrange to your liking." I whispered as I passed, she smiled slightly and nodded her head.

Alice pulled on my hand and we ran into the woods. We ran for ten minutes, going about eight miles to a clearing that we had seen yesterday. She had a blanket spread out and there were rose petals sprinkled over the area, along with some incense of pine and after the rain burning amongst the area.

She closed her eyes leaning towards me, raising her face as she puckered her lips. We kissed for a short time before she pulled me down to the blanket. She pulled my face to hers for a soft kiss as I tried to kiss her harder and put my tongue in her mouth. She stopped the kiss and looked at me like you would when reprimanding a child.

"Don't be an ass Jasper. Make love to me." I cast my eyes down, I needed release and she knew it. I leaned back down and kissed her softly. She had stretched her arms above her head and was sending me happiness and desire as I slowly unbuttoned her shirt exposing her small breasts. I knew the drill, this is how she wanted things frequently.

So I performed her skit; slowly, very slowly and then even more slowly. Unbutton her shirt, caress her breasts, kiss her breasts, carefully unbutton her pants, do not rip the clothes, take off her shoes, make sure you put the shoes and the clothes in a not dirty spot, kiss her skin all over, lick her pussy for ten minutes, caress her body, then lay on my back while she rode me slowly, very slowly and then even more slowly. Don't cum until she says I can. And then after I cum, clean all my venom off of her body with a cloth, making sure that my scent does not cover her nor seep from her pussy.

She dressed quickly and started to gather up the items she had set out from our love making session. She was sending me wave after wave of happiness and satisfaction, so I really could not complain. She smiled at me and her phone rang. It was Rosalie and Esme calling to see if she would go shopping.

"Do you mind?" She asked, sweetly bending down and giving me a sweet kiss.

"No, go ahead. Have fun, I'll clean up here."

"Ok, have fun too. Don't take too long, Edward will be along the way in about 15 minutes, he's going to hunt."

She winked at me and shot off like a bullet towards the house. She was such a happy spirit, she constantly sent me feelings of joy and happiness. They kept my spirits high. As I lifted the blanket I caught a whiff of something musky and arousing. Something that sparked something deep within me and I felt my cock stiffen immediately.

She put that scent on the ground under the blanket, I had realized. She knew I didn't want to make love, she knew I wanted to fuck. She was so thoughtful, putting a smell that she knew I found arousing. Cedar and something sweet. I lowered my pants and took my cock in my hand and roughly pulled on my member. I breathed deeply taking in the musky scent, closing my eyes and imagined slamming into Alice from behind. Harder and harder I pumped my cock, going faster. My breathing became shallow as I watched in my mind fucking Alice, her screaming out my name…'Jasper, yes Jasper, Fuck me harder, yes, yes, just like that." And just as I was about to come, my lust pouring out from my very soul, I was pumping my dick as hard as I could shy of ripping it off. My hips were slamming into my hand as it swelled more, I roared out my orgasm as my seed spilled all over the scent on the ground and in my imagination Alice turned around with Bella's face.

_That had never happened before. That was kind of shocking._

I heard the footfalls about a mile out and quickly picked up everything Alice and I had strewn about the clearing. There was nothing I could do about my spilt venom on the forest floor, it would just have to soak into the ground.

I quickly schooled my thoughts as to my fantasy as Edward approached. I kept my mind on mine and Alice's activities and kept a smile across my face as I cleaned up the area. He paused for a moment, seeing what I was clearing, made a short comment about couples in our family and then took off. His loneliness was worse when he knew that we were off together. Couples surrounding him like we did reminded him of the things he had lost.

_My fault. I destroyed his life. I made him abandon his mate._

I disposed of the items that, once used, Alice deemed as trash and took the blanket into the house and put them into the washing machine. I went up the stairs to put away the flower vases and the music box. Entering our room, that is when I noticed that the items in this room were only Alice's belongings; there was nothing of mine in here. I put her items on the desk and walked downstairs to where Esme had laid out the blueprints. I looked over the document and took note of where Esme had written her notes. She had a room designated for Carlisle's study, Edward's music room and a room for Alice and Rosalie to design in. A bedroom for Carlisle and Esme, Rosalie and Emmett, Edward, Alice and then my name was listed on the basement, as was 'Jasper's library'. The basement?

I was being cast to the basement. At least they didn't kick me out.

_My fault. I made them abandon their daughter._

I turned to walk down the dark corridor through the beat up door and could smell the damp basement dwellings that were in need of a good cleaning. I walked down the stairs very carefully as they creaked when I stepped on each plank, some had a give to them that was disturbing. I would be replacing the stairway very soon. At the bottom of the stairs were buckets, mops, sponges and all sorts of cleaning equipment. In a neat pile were the boxes marked 'Jasper' next to the bottles of cleaning solutions.

**xxxXXXxxx**

For the next few months I spent a lot of time in the basement. Cleaning, building, staining and fixing until it was passable as a room worthy of my possessions. Immediately I had Esme purchase a dehumidifier so that nothing became molded or damaged, although I have suspicions that Alice had my things brought down here so that they would. Alice refused to step one foot into the basement. She no longer wanted relations, so most days I took matters into my own hands but I had to be far away so that my fantasies could run rampant. Bella always made an appearance. Frequently I would wait for the family to go on a hunting or shopping trip, I preferred to stay in the basement and hunt at night. I always left the house at least once every few days to hunt, trying to keep my bloodlust at bay and concentrating on which animals satisfied my thirst and which ones did not.

I decided to take a couple of classes at the nearby community college, at the insistence of the family. I took some classes on construction and furniture making. They were creative disciplines that I had never had a formal class on and since I refused to do the high school route again, Carlisle insisted that I do something that wasn't in the basement since I had considered taking a correspondence course. The classes go fast and they get me out of the house. The good thing is that the classes are all indoors and I don't have to be too concerned about the weather dictating when I go to class or not.

I had decided to take an advanced chair making class and had been at the college for my third quarter when I saw a sale ad for a new hobby shop down the road. It was just past the University of Chicago's campus. I decided to take a walk as it was a typical Chicago day; overcast, threat of rain and a comfortable 45 degrees. Most people here were wearing heavy jackets so I thought I should wear a light one as well, but I kept it open so that I could feel the cool air brush against my skin.

The wind had picked up a bit as I rounded a building and that was when I smelled her. Saw her. It was Bella Swan, in Chicago, on the Chicago University campus. I held back and watched her from a distance, goose bumps rising on my skin. Her hair whipped in the wind and she pulled it out of her face while she put a pencil in her mouth to free her hand. She looked different than when she was in Forks. Her lips were fuller and she was taller. Her hair was longer and she stood straighter. She was there with a college official looking rather unimpressed but walking along looking at the campus and listening to the woman's speech. She seemed to be stressed as she walked along with the group of students that were there for what now looked like a tour. She started to look my way and I immediately felt nauseated and I ran to hide. Seconds after I ducked behind a building, my phone rang and it was Alice.

"What are you doing on University of Chicago's campus? Bella Swan is there and you need to get the hell away from there Jasper. I just had a vision of her yelling at you after she sees you. She slaps you, breaks her hand and you kill her. Get off campus!" She yelled through the phone and then immediately hung up.

I turned the corner and walked at the fastest human pace that I could manage without attracting any unwanted attention and ducked into the hobby store. I extended out my gift to see if I could locate her and not feel her, hoping I was in a safe place. I shopped for supplies, selecting several items to be delivered and began to leave.

I neared the door looking left and right and saw Edward's car parked in front of the store. He pulled up to where I had exited and I slid into his car. "I just got a call from Alice to come and get you. She said she had a vision of you attacking Bella while she was on a tour for UC. What is your problem? Why would you go to UC campus today?"

"I was just going to the hobby store. I didn't even know that Bella was there until I smelled her. I looked up and there she was. I ducked behind a building, that's when Alice called. I hid in the hobby store until I was sure she wasn't around."

"Well, at least nothing happened," His words were full of irritation but his emotions told a different story. He was resigned and sad.

Edward sped through the streets and took off for the freeway, which had already slowed down with traffic. He was feeling lost and forlorn. I turned to look at him and the pain was evident in his eyes. "Go talk to her Edward. If you love her, go to her. Beg her forgiveness. Beg her to be in her life." He shook his head no, but I could tell he had a million things running through that mind of his. "Don't you feel it Edward? Don't you feel the pull to go to her?"

"No. No, I do not. Do you?" He turned and looked at me while he asked pointedly. What an odd question. He was genuinely curious.

"No. Why would I?"

"No reason." He swerved through the streets to our house and took a deep breath before speaking again. "She's not my mate Jasper. Carlisle and I have discussed this at length. I thought she was but she is not. Alice was wrong."

_Wrong? Alice was wrong? How on earth did Alice get something like that wrong? Don't bet against Alice. What happened to that motto?_

We rode home in continued silence as I thought about today's events. I knew from Edward's deep concentration that he was trying to see Bella in my thoughts. I showed him what she looked like today while she was walking through campus, much more beautiful than when we left Forks. He smiled and sent me his appreciation. I went back to the basement to think about the possibility of her attending college here in Chicago.

College? That means that she will be graduating soon. Graduation. I smiled despite myself. Bella Swan was growing up and turning into a woman and we were missing it. The more I thought about her, the more I missed her. The human who had wiggled herself into our little niche in Forks was wiggling her way into my thoughts way too frequently. I thought about sending her a graduation gift, something with meaning. Something that would only be from me.

I sat in the middle of the basement, staring at my relics and my library. I have accumulated so many things in my time here with the Cullens, and I brought so few items with me from my time before. I had uniforms and swords, ink pens and models. Original editions of books, scientific instruments from eras long forgotten. I had money. Bella would not find appreciation or uniqueness in such a gift.

I sat back and the light caught my medal. The only true, real personal relic I owned. My medal from Sabine Pass. It was special, it was specific, it was me. I fought hard for that medal; twice.

The first time was easy. As a human, we defended Sabine Pass against the attack made by the Yankees on the eighth of September, 1863. There were forty-one of us who earned that medal, there were many who fell. We fought against a fleet of boats and thousands of men; taking capture of three hundred plus and seizing control of some of their gunships. That, that was easy compared to the second time I had to earn it.

_(Begin Flashback)_

_I had displeased my mistress Maria because I had sex with a newborn female. Maria had been having sex with me for nearly five months when she decided that I had acted inappropriately; we were fucking and she told me that until further notice, we would not have sex until she decided that I was allowed back in her bed._

_I had mistakenly misunderstood that I was not allowed to have sex with anyone else. When she found out that I was fucking a newborn, she had her goons catch me and hold the newborn and me together in our compromising position until she arrived. She attacked me from behind and bit my neck on the back sending pain down my spine. Walking around to the newborn she kissed her on the lips roughly as she twisted her head from her shoulders, decapitating the week old woman, sitting her head on a shelf to watch the events._

_I'll never forget the newborn's bright red eyes as she watched me. I was held balls deep in her body as she watched. I could feel her terror as she saw Maria grab my hips and pump them into her body while she bit me each time I stopped. Screaming in my ear. "Why do you fuck this whore? Why do you contaminate my cock? You are mine. My soldier, my lover, mine." I fucked until I could not cum anymore. I was exhausted for a vampire, having cum at least five times in the last two hours. She had bitten me over twenty times. Ten of those wounds were leaking venom._

_She had managed to get another talented vampire by the name of Garth. He wasn't a strong fighter by any means, he could not be trained, as he was quite cowardly He did have the unique talent of focusing on one vampire at a time and knocking them unconscious or mentally paralyzing them where they were limp. He sent his gift out to me and as soon as I realized that, I sent him a large dose of fear and he hit his knees battling with me to send me his mojo. Finally, my body gave out from the loss of venom._

_She dismembered me and put my head on the same shelf as the newborn and made me watch as her goons took turns with the newborns body and then her head. They pulled her apart in hundreds of pieces and smeared her venom in my open wounds and into my hair. They took their venom cum and smeared it all over my body and violated me with anything they could find while I watched._

_She went through my belongings that I had meticulously acquired the last ten years and laid them out before me. Her goons fused me back together as she explained the rules. I could retrieve one item from my treasures if I performed above her expectations. If I did just what she had asked, they stayed safe, but if I did something that displeased her, she would pick an item and destroy it._

_The first item she destroyed was my mother's apron; she wrapped it around the newborn's head and tossed it into the pyre while I lay unable to save the newborn, nor my mother's apron._

_The first item I had earned back was my confederate medal, by bringing her a group of border passers bound and gagged for her to feed. I wanted to provide for her and let her know I would be good. The entire family died in a matter of hours as Maria savored each one. The family screamed and cried as they watch Maria drain each member one by one. I tried to use my gift on them and knock them unconscious, but Maria growled at me letting me know that she got off on their pain. That cost me my boots that I had taken from a cowboy that had passed by our area. She wanted to see the family as they cried and wept, mourning the death of their father, son, daughter. The last to die was the mother and Maria ordered me to fuck her while she drained her. I could not. She burned my brother's bible that I had carried with me during the Civil War. She tortured the woman for hours before finally having me drain her of her life. I jumped at the opportunity to end the woman's pain. Maria made the choice to return my medal. She chose that item. She chose a war medal to remind me that I was a soldier, I was a weapon of war and I was to keep her safe and be loyal to her at all costs._

_(End Flashback)_

"Jesus man, if you have things that carry that much pain and those kinds of memories, you should get rid of them. Why would you keep something so horrid?" Edward said from the top of the stairs. He had been watching as I remembered earning my medal back. I could feel how appalled he was at what he saw through my memories, if he only knew that it was barely the tip of the iceberg.

"Where is Alice?" I asked.

"In her room," He sulked off. Making the decision to go to Seattle and sell my medal at an antique store there and being careful to make no other decisions, I approached her room.

"Will it be safe if I make a trip to Seattle?" I asked her tentatively. She looked at the item I held in my hand, smiled and allowed her eyes to stare off into the distance, looking for any possible slip-ups I might have.

"Yes. Leave now. Go along the Canadian border and then head south to Seattle when you get to the state of Washington. You could be there and back in 3 days."

"Excellent." I grabbed my bag, some cash and a change of clothes and left for Seattle.

The trip was simple and straight forward. I went to Seattle to sell my medal, but the antique dealer did not have enough cash at the time, but could get it in a few days if I wanted to wait. I had hoped to give Bella the cash, or her father to fund her college, but that wasn't going to happen. I asked the antique dealer to create a file on my medal; instructing him that if he tried to cheat anyone who came through these doors with this, that I would not only hunt him down and kill him, I would hunt down his family. It was going to be a gift. But he could offer to buy it and to make sure that she knew what it was worth.

He assembled the folder and assured me that he would provide anyone who entered his establishment with this item with the documentation I wanted. I walked out of the shop trying to determine how I would get this to Bella undetected when I saw an attorney's office. I stopped in and retained their services for a courier and arranged for someone to mail it from the Forks post office in a month. I paid them in cash and I provided them with my e-mail address to give me confirmation that they ensured that it was delivered.

I know that we were suppose to stay out of touch with Bella, but one little gift wouldn't hurt. Afterall, I earned it twice, if she needed the money she could sell it and if she wanted to keep something from me, she could. I really like the idea of Bella wearing something of mine.

I start the trek back to Chicago and resisted the urge to stop into Forks to check on Bella. Alice would surely see and scold me. I get to bask in her happiness so infrequently anymore, it's the whole reason I became such a recluse in the basement.

I hope she enjoys the gift nonetheless.

**xxxXXXxxx**

**_Four months later._**

I had managed to finish my last class in chair making before summer came to Illinois. Although the winter, spring and fall months are perfect for vampires, summer is not. It is sunny and hot. Which means we can't go out unless it's at night, and we have to keep our house shut up tight.

Staying down in our basement, I had become accustomed to being alone most of the time. Reading a lot and making furniture or an occasional gift for Esme or Carlisle, as they were really the only ones that appreciated anything I did. Each of us had special ring-tones for people and I heard 'Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison playing on Carlisle's noise stopped in the house, you could have heard a pin drop. Every vampire in the house was emitting anxiety as we walked to where Carlisle's phone sat on the foyer charging station. Carlisle was opening his phone in a flash.

He read her text out loud; "I'm sorry, I should have listened."

Alice and Roaslie were out somewhere. Only Edward, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle and myself were here. Edward tried to call Alice's phone but she did not answer. No answer on Rosalie's either.

Bella was sorry? I tried to text her quickly, but Edward grabbed my phone and crushed it. "No! You will not be contacting her. She is better off to be rid of us. So what? She's sorry. She should have listened! And she sent it to Carlisle! Not you. Not me!" Jealousy rolled off him in waves. He threw the remnants of my phone down on the floor and ran out the door.

I picked up the pieces hoping that my sim card would still be ok so that I could keep all my data when I got a new phone.

A moment later Carlisle's phone rang 'My Girl' by the Temptations, Alice on the other line.

"I saw you getting a text from Bella, but I can't seem to get a clear vision of her." Alice said quickly.

"Can you see where she is?" Carlisle asked. Edward walked back into the house as the conversation continued.

"Not exactly. It doesn't look like Washington, but I don't know where she is. Somewhere warm and very, very sunny. She's at a bar. She's driving a convertible car. I don't see anything that is concerning," she said.

"Is she doing anything dangerous? Or risky? Or maybe she got a tattoo?" Edward asked desperate for an answer. He turned to look at Carlisle. "Did you give her specific advice? About getting pregnant? Getting sick? Anything?" He was grasping at straws and trying to read everyone in the room while speculating at the same time.

"Calm down Edward, I'm sure it's nothing. We're on our way home now. I'll keep looking. We'll be there in ten minutes." She ended the call and Edward sat down with his head in his hands, his mind rolling, desperation and confusion coming off him in waves.

We all stood there in silence waiting for Alice to arrive. Rosalie pulled into the driveway, parked and before her engine was even turned off Alice had raced into the house.

"I haven't looked for Bella in my visions in a little while. I had some blank spots, maybe from the wolves?" She said as she scrunched up her face trying to get another vision. She was frustrated. "It's the same thing over and over again. All I see is her driving a red convertible."

"Who is that with her?" Edward asked.

Alice threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "I don't know Edward. It's the only thing I have for her. I'm going to go up to my room and see if I can just relax and see if I can get something more. I can't focus with you hovering in my head. I'll let you know when I find out what she's doing, ok?" She flew up the stairs into her room.

I tried to make a decision about taking her out for a hunt and a quick fuck, when a yell from the stairs came thundering down. "Not a chance Jasper Whitlock," so I left to go hunt by myself.

I was out in the wooded area Carlisle had purchased years and years ago when they found Edward's childhood home for sale. This was definitely not like our normal homes, as this one was much closer to human populations. This made the control I had much harder to keep in check. Edward's family lived in a plantation style home, but the neighborhood had quickly been developed to the north. The south was houses located on large tracts of land, but to the west was the wooded area that Carlisle acquired. It was only 70 acres and it was all there was here for us to hunt. There was an abundance of deer, but going for a variety took a trip northwest of our area to the Chain O' Lakes state park. I took down two deer, which did little to quench my thirst but did satisfy my body's need for substance. I felt sloshy and full, but I still felt the desire for blood, good blood. Not this deer blood.

Alice still could not get a vision that would help answer the question as to why Bella was sorry. That morning I started my search on the internet trying to find Bella. I searched for anyone that I had stored in my memory banks looking for some kind of clue as to where she had moved. Instead, her name came up on a news bulletin.

Just as I read the report, Alice screamed from upstairs as Edward roared in pain.

_**Police teams are currently searching the University of Texas El Paso campus and surrounding areas for two missing female college students. Isabella Marie Swan and Christine Edwards, both 18 years old, were reported missing on Monday August 29**__**th**__** after not reporting to their classes. It is reported that they were last seen during classes on Friday. Anyone having any information about their whereabouts is urged to contact the El Paso Texas police.**_

Texas? Why is Bella in Texas, and in El Paso no less?

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><p><strong>AN: I know, I know… a little bit of Emosper in this chapter, ok a lot of Emosper in this chapter. Be patient with me, it'll get there. ~smooches~<strong>

**Leave me some love (or hate if you really didn't like it) and if you have your PM's turned on, I promise to respond**.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 9**

_La corrupción de Bella Swan_

_The corruption of Bella Swan_

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><p><strong>BPOV<strong>

I awoke in a straw strewn concrete room. There was light filtering into the room from windows that were high above where I lay on the floor. An inscription on a plaque just below the window reads:

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet _are_, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.** - Revelation 20:10**

All of this was unfamiliar. The room, the smell, the inscription, everything. I tried to remember what had happened to me and how I had ended up in this room but my mind came up blank. I took in a deep breath as I realized that I was a vampire. The hay smelled old, but unused by animals. The walls had been painted in the last year. I could smell other vampires. I tried to think back and remember how I knew about vampires and that is when the memories of the Cullens hit me. Edward Cullen, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper. Jasper was not a Cullen, he was a Whitlock. Jacob was a wolf, Charlie was my dad, Renee was my mother. Renee and Charlie were humans.

Memories started to flood my mind. Playing in the sand as a little girl, riding my first bike, going to middle school in that horrible pink dress. Moving to Forks, going to high school, my time with the Cullens, them leaving, Angela, graduation, parties over the summer, Paul, leaving Forks, starting UTEP, my new roommate, vampire at a bar, being kidnapped, being bitten, burning. The memories and the images flooded my mind, causing it to spin. I stood up and realized that my clothing was wrecked and I was covered in a sticky substance that smelled foul and was dripping from my lower body. I knew it was cum and I tried to remember anything that would answer who or how it got there. I hadn't had sex in a month, not since Paul. Registering what had happened, I was thankful that I didn't have that memory but filed the offense away for later. I went to grab what was left of my skirt and it ripped from me as if it were wet toilet paper as I used it to wipe up the fluid that was on me and the fabric disintegrated in my hands.

I screamed out, but it sounded more like a laugh so I stopped. My voice had changed, it sounded sweet and nice and beautiful. I started to walk around in my area and realized that there was a door. I tried to push it open, but it was steel and secured and had dents in the panels. The concrete on the walls were very thick and there was no way to grab the door or to swing it open. It was large and dirty and I tried to run into it, only to be stopped. The door did not move. My body slamming into the door made a very loud crashing sound and I could feel others around me. I don't know how. Was it a smell? A Sound? A feeling? Sensations hitting me so fast that I could not catalogue one before another entered my mind.

I turned in a circle and took in my surroundings. I made the movement seemingly before I had processed the thought. I was fast. The walls had been gouged and scratched. Several places on the walls looked like they had been beaten at and tried to escape through. The hay looked like it had been placed in here fairly recently and that it was soft and would be comfortable for me to sit on. There were so many things to look at, my mind raced between taking in the room, hearing the footsteps draw near and watching the sunlight.

The sunlight brought me to a fuzzy memory of Edward when he revealed himself to me. His skin sparkling and him telling me about him being a monster. That his family tried to be good and eat from animals and that they did not feed from humans; which is why their eyes were a golden topaz. They were beautiful and mesmerizing. On a few occasions I had seen several of the Cullen family exposed to the sunlight and they were all beautiful.

I was snapped out of my memory hearing their footsteps outside of the door. I tried to get my bearings but found myself very unsettled. A woman's voice was calling out, "Isa? Isabella? I'm going to enter your room now." Her voice was loud and harsh. It held a heavy Spanish accent and was seriously frightening. Another memory hit me of a dark haired woman that I had been kidnapped and brought to; I did not know her name.

The woman with the voice entered and I felt entranced by her beauty; two other male vampires also entered with her. Her hair was a dark mahogany brown, with sharp features and dark red eyes and long lashes. My memories could not compare with seeing her with my new eyes. She had a petite frame but held an authority with her stance, holding a beauty that made me feel threatened immediately. She was dressed in all black and looked statuesque dressed in boots, kakis and a fitted top. She was not wearing anything feminine, but was feline in nature, she moved so smooth.

Her two male companions that stood on each side of her were equally as beautiful but displayed numerous scars. Their eyes were a bright red and each stood there menacingly like they were ready to pounce on me. One of them winked at me and I shifted my feet.

Both of them moved counteractively to my movement scaring me. "Who are you?"

I said, trying to sound intimidating. My body screamed at me to run as I waited for her answer.

"Isa, I am Maria, your commander and these two here are Carlos and Ronald. They will be your trainers."

Trainers? What am I training for? My mind raced. I spoke before I could think. We bantered back and forth about my name. She is calling me Isa and my name is Bella. I remember that clearly. She doesn't like me. She doesn't even like my name. I rattled a comeback to her and she approached me swiftly, smacking me to the ground and before I could counter her movement one of her men grabbed me from behind, pinning my arms behind me. Frustrated at being held immobile I started to struggle. When I pulled I could feel the ligaments pull and the bones pull in the socket.

My mind races and I can not focus. I'm being held against my will, and now I'm supposed to be some soldier and follow her; not likely. She tells me I'm not a prisoner, but it sure feels like it. It feels like she thinks she can make me do something. She can just go to h…..

That's when I heard it; a slow slushy sound.

_Ta thump, Ta thump, Ta thump. _

It was wet and reminded me of the feeling you get when you hear a steak hit a hot grill. My mouth gushed as the venom rushed to my glands in my mouth and I could have swore I heard my stomach growl. I inhaled deeply and even though it wasn't the steak I was hoping for, it smelled damn good.

_Turkey and stuffing. _

I could feel the satisfaction in the smell. It was mouthwatering, I suddenly felt like I was starving and my body started to vibrate with hunger. My throat lit on fire as I breathed in the heavenly scent.

"It is time for you to feed Isa. After you feed, we can begin your training." I couldn't move, even if I wasn't being forcibly held, I could not move my body. All I could do was feel my hunger, feel my need for food, feel my body shake as I waited for them to bring me sustenance. As if time stood still, I watched the door open and a small dark skinned vampire brought in a blonde woman who I instantly remembered as Christina, my roommate.

She called out "Bella" and ran to me throwing her arms around me, enveloping me in the turkey and dressing smell. Oh my God, she is my food. Oh no, this isn't suppose happen. The man holding me loosened his grip slightly, but I pulled my own arms back, keeping myself held in this spot. The Cullens did this, I can resist it. I can stop it, I can make myself not want this. I tried to hold as still as possible, taking in as little air as I could. I was ready to vibrate from hunger I wanted her so bad, but I pulled in all the will power that I had in my body and turned my head away from her.

"Christina, get away from me. They want me to eat you. Get away." I yelled at her. She cowered back in fear, finally realizing that there was something different about me. I could feel it, her warm skin leaving me, her smell getting just a small amount weaker as she stepped back. I could resist this, I could be good.

I looked over at this Maria woman and growled. "I will not feed from humans. Bring me an animal." Steeling my resolve, I grounded myself as she approached me and punched me in the jaw. I saw her approach as if she were walking through the air at a snail's pace, the punch hurt but it was more insulting than painful. Her goon held me in place as I leaned forward after her punch but when she reached down and slowly ripped my clothing from my body, revealing me to the three men in the room, I wanted to scream. And then, as if on cue, she scratched the skin down my body, opening wounds across my chest and down to my belly. It was the first feeling of pain that was separate from the hunger I felt down to the very bottom of my soul.

_I didn't break before; you will not break me now. This is just pain._

She looked at me with coal black eyes as she roared in my face. "Do not ever tell me what to do. I am your commander and you will do as I say."

"I will not feed from humans." I pulled my chin high in the air, displaying a confidence that I did not feel, but had to convince myself that I could be strong, that I could be good. I would not take a life of a girl I knew. She walked over to where Christina had curled up in a ball on the floor. She was shaking in fear and I could hear her heart speed up and her smell filled the room more as her fear increased. She started to shake and Maria grabbed her arm causing a chilling sound to reverberate throughout the room as she broke her arm. My ears felt as if something were being jammed into them as she let out a shrill scream and I winced as the sound amplified and echoed in this prison chamber. I could feel my resolve crumble as she raised her finger to her neck and nicked the skin causing a droplet of blood to form and then drip down her neck.

_Desire, hunger, longing, want, need, feed, feed, feed, feed._

My mouth produced so much venom I could feel it burning in my throat and then my lips as the fire grew. It hurt, I wanted her so much. She smelled so good. I wanted it. She nodded to the goon who let go of my arms and backed up against the wall, I could hear his chuckle as he watched me struggle.

"You will not drink animal blood like those yellow-eyed freaks! You are a soldier in my army. You will do as I command. And you are going to feed on this girl." She screamed. I could hear Christina's blood sloshing through her veins, calling me.

I fell to the ground and tried to think of anything that could make me stop from running to her. I pulled my legs up to my chest, rocking my body back and forth and tried to resist. I wanted her. I began to cry, thinking of how I had just met her days ago. She has a little brother with sandy blond hair that thinks she's his hero. Her mother is so proud of her for being the first woman in her family to attend college. And her dad had passed away two years ago and she knew, just knew that he was watching over her to make sure she made it there. And now, here I am, a monster about to take her life. I sobbed as I thought of all that her family was losing. "Please don't make me kill her."

"Oh, you will kill her and hundreds of others Isa. You are a killing machine. You are made to live off the blood of humans and you will enjoy it." I looked up at her and the fear that ran through my body as her evil seeped through. "Smell her blood Isa." She cooed at me. Feeling the hunger as my body wanted to burst forward and feed, I took a small breath. More venom flowed into my mouth and down my chin, running into the wounds on my chest, burning more of my fragile focus. I couldn't swallow so I tried to spit it out onto the floor, but that just caused more to flow into my mouth and then her scent filled me and I gagged, trying to dull my desire for food. Maria was like a lioness purring into my ear. "Feel it Isa. Imagine the feel of her blood as you drink it from her body. Feel her heart as it moves what you desire through her veins." She circled me like a hunter circling its prey. "Your throat burns for her blood. Just take what you need Isa."

"No… Please?" Was all I could whisper. I watched as Maria reached over smiling at me and placed her nail on the bloodied spot on her neck and scratched down; causing her to cry again, but the sound was barely noticeable as I watched her blood run down her neck in large fat drops. I watched horrified as Maria threw her at me and she landed on my arm causing one of those large fat drops of blood to land on the back of my hand. My body hummed from the smell, a demon roared within me. One little taste, it wouldn't hurt. My tongue darted out and licked the drop of liquid sin that lay glowing and warm on my pale hand.

_Feed, feed, feed. Blood, blood, blood._

As if another being overtook my body and I had no control, I turned my head. My body demanded her blood, she looked at me with such fear, at the naked monster that required her blood to exist, I started to shake uncontrollably as I tried to resist. She looked me in the eye, smiled slightly and then closed them, giving up, knowing she was going to die. I held on long enough to whisper, "Please forgive me Christina" and then the demon took over. I surrendered my will to the monster. All I saw was blood and I felt her life's blood flow within me.

Her blood was euphoria, ecstasy and an orgasm all rolled into one. I could ride on the tail of a kite with this. My body hummed with what her life gave me. Sheer joy seeped through my system as I pulled on her. My mind stopped spinning and retreated to a spot where the madness made sense and stopped long enough to feel…. happy. I wanted to moan it felt so good. I surrendered again as the euphoria overtook my mind with another pull of her blood.

When I could calm myself sufficiently, I opened my eyes at the carnage that was her body. It was mutilated beyond recognition, her head was bent backwards and her chest was sunken inward, her broken arm was barely dangling from the force that I had held her and the blouse that I had lent her earlier that evening clung to her body as if reminding me that I took her and owned her. I took her life. I took a deep breath and choked on my remorse. The venom that had gathered at the back of my throat once again made me sob, all I could do was pull my knees up and cover myself as I felt her blood heal my scars and fuel my muscles. I had failed. All I could think of this evil creature that stood with a self satisfied smirk on her face, was why? So I pleaded, "Why did you make me do that?"

The evil of a demon woman who was my maker smiled back at me. "Because you needed to feed and she came in with you. There is no one outside of this facility waiting for you. You are dead to the world outside of this compound. You are my soldier." She said cruelty.

I was a slave, a slave to the blood that beat down the hall. A slave to the woman that stood before me; she would not give me choices. It was her rules, her game. That was all there was. I had my mind, I knew who I was, and she could not take that from me. I looked up at her and nodded, knowing that she was expecting something from me. I could only lower my head at her vicious gaze.

"Welcome to Reina del Sur Company." She said, as she walked out of the room followed by the man that had brought me Christina, carrying her body away as he exited.

The door closed with an ominous clonk. As much as I hated her in that moment, I felt abandoned by her. She was here, she welcomed me and then she left.

The two men looked over at me as the door was bolted from the other side and smiled callously at me. Both men easily stood over six feet tall and were rippled with muscles. As they stood and stared at me, I could feel my nakedness scream to me that I needed to cover myself. As I pulled up my arms and tried to cover my body, the one with the sandy colored hair laughed at me; he was the one that restrained me. He turned around and lying in the hay was a dress, it was a thick fabric and he lifted it up and shook it, like showing it to a wild animal. When I took a step back, he snorted.

"My name is Ronald, this is a dress." He shook it at me again, like I was stupid. "I am going to help you put it on." I could feel my eyes go wide as he said that and he smirked. "Unless you would prefer to do your exercises naked because really, you are quite fine and you running around here naked is just dandy with me."

I could see that he was trying to keep me from being scared, but that crow had flown the coop a long time ago. All I could do was nod, knowing that between the two of them, they could pin me down and kill me, or worse in a moment's notice. "Ok." Was all I could say.

I stood still as he approached me, trying not to shake in fear as he pulled the dress over my head grabbing my arms and guiding them through the holes for the arms. There was a rope that tied at the waist and the fabric was scratchy and smelled like hay and horses. It may have been a burlap sack at one time. It covered all the important parts of my body, but I was far from not being exposed. If you looked, you could see through it, but the threads were thick as to not be ripped by a simple touch. I reached for the hem and gently touched it and saw the fabric compress under my touch. Seeing that my touch held too much pressure I released the fabric by a fraction and touched another spot. As I learned to touch the fabric the other man, which I now assumed was Carlos, nodded to Ronald and said. "She's a smart one."

"Good." He said back to him. Looking down at me, he laughed, "Tie the rope without crushing it and we'll go easy on you, today."

I looked down at the rope and with the same pressure I used on the dress I picked it up, and slowly and as lightly as I could, I tied the rope; smiling once I had the knot tied around my waist.

Carlos looked at me with wide eyes. "She did it, can you believe that shit?" He said to Ronald.

"Ok, then; easy day for you. First training session, following a command." Carlos said menacingly. "Even if your body is screaming for you to do the opposite, you follow the command." He approached me and I could feel his body so close that it caused my dress to shift slightly. "Even if you vibrate with tension to do the opposite, you follow the command." He stopped circling and came within inches of my face and as I started to step back I felt Ronald behind me. I could feel the panic rise in my throat. "Stand still and hold your position soldier." He screamed, causing me to flinch. My ears hurt from his voice.

He stepped back and smacked me in the face, not hard enough to break my face, but enough to make it sting. "I said, stand still and hold your position soldier." So I stood still and held my position. He pulled back and hit me again. "I said, stand still and hold your position soldier." When I didn't move that time he stepped back and Ronald stepped forward and pressed himself against me.

I wanted to scream, fight, punch, slap, roar like a lion. What good is this? What is the point? Oh yeah, I'd like to live.

Ronald leaned over me and put his chin on my shoulder. I wanted to step forward, wanted him to stop touching me. I wanted to move, but I held as still as I could. His face was next to mine and inclined his head to my neck and took a deep breath.

He chuckled. "You stink. That newborn lust gets 'em every time." I could see that Carlos looked up to him and shook his head no; his eyes going between mine and Ronald's. He shook his head and his dark hair shook with the force. I held still. They were hiding something from me, but I wasn't able to put the pieces together. Carlos stepped forward and pressed his body against me.

He softened his voice as he whispered. "Stay still Isa. There are several things you need to know to survive here; One, always listen to your superior officer. Two, never feed before your superior officer has had their fill. Three, whatever it is, Mistress Maria needs to know. Four, you can't leave her unless you're mated. Five, you can't kill without approval. Six, whatever your ability is, you are not allowed to use it on anyone here without Maria's permission. And seven, always listen to your superior officer."

They had me sandwiched between the two of them, breathing down my neck to see if I would bolt. I knew they were dangerous and I knew that they could rip me to shreds, but they wouldn't. They couldn't do anything without Maria's permission. Everyone here was hers. I processed quickly as they tried to get me to bend to their game and receive more punishment. Game up, they were as trapped as I was. They just seemed to _enjoy_ it.

I steeled myself as I calmly as possible said, "Rules one and seven are the same."

**SLAP**

The resounding crack to my face and ass were simultaneous but came together from each of them.

Disturbing that it was insulting and a turn on at the same time.

I closed my eyes and waited for the next onslaught of insults and unwanted body contact. But as I waited, nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see that both men now stood before me, watching me; watching me as I stood still. And they waited and I waited, staring at each other.

We stood like that for so long that I hadn't realized that the sun had set and was now starting to rise again. When the light filtered in at the exact same angle that it had been when I had awoken, Ronald smiled at me, breaking the stillness.

"Congratulations. You are now one day old. Time for lesson two; how to feed without creating carnage and actually getting the blood." He smiled wider mocking me.

Christina. Her memory flooded back to me. She had cried and feared me and then she gave up. I killed her. I drank her blood. I mutilated her body. I was a murderer. A monster.

Memories flooded me again, assaulting my already overloaded brain. Edward in the forest showing me his skin that sparkled in the sun, calling himself a monster, a killer and how he hated it. I understood a small part of what he meant now. His eyes held so much pain. Another vision hit me as I stared into Jasper's eyes as he apologized to me for trying to attack me, his eyes pleading for my forgiveness.

Ronald walked over to my right side, as Carlos stepped to my left. In a mocking fashion they each held out crooked elbows for me to take. Not feeling the hospitality that they were trying to convey, I put my arms through them and Ronald whistled and the door began to open. Both of the men tightened their grip on my arm so much that I could feel the muscles in my arms compress and feel the weight lift from my feet slightly as they kept me from running.

"Don't even think about running little girl." Carlos said gravely. "That is a command from your superior officer. You will do as I say, and you will not run. We are going to take you to a feeding chamber while Roberto brings us someone more durable than your little chickadee."

With perfect recall, my memories played across my vision. Killing Christina. Images flooded me, things I wish I could forget; my hands as they grabbed her body, the way her neck gave way when I bit into her flesh. The memory of the taste of her blood. My body craved the euphoria. Venom flooded my mouth again as I tried to swallow it back.

"Yes, that's it little girl. You'll be ok. Just do as you're told and you'll be ok." We walked out the door and as we walked arm in arm down the hall I felt like I was floating. I heard the heartbeat faintly at first.

_Squish-squish._

I could feel the desire for that sound fill my limbs. I think I may have hissed as we continued down the hallway. The sound grew louder and more pronounced.

_Ta-squish, Ta-squish_

The sound was different from Christina, it sounded like it was larger and stronger. As we rounded a corner we came to a circular room where a man was standing in the middle of the room, struggling with a vampire that held him with a detached expression on his face. He almost looked bored. He made eye contact with me and smiled warmly. Letting go of the large man in the middle of the room, he quickly walked around to the front of him pulling his face down to meet his eyes. "Don't move and she won't hurt you as much."

He turned and quickly came to stand in front of me and smiled warmly. "Don't let him hurt you. He thinks he's a tough guy. Beats children, rapes women, sells drugs." He turned to look over his shoulder watching as the man had moved from his spot backing away from us, trying to move stealthily not realizing I could see and tell that he had moved 2 feet,7 inches from the spot where he stood. "Crossed the border at the wrong time. Gifts from Helen." He smiled wide this time looking me in the eye. "My name is Roberto, welcome to our abode. Bon appetite." He stepped aside, sliding back on one foot as he raised his arm in an exaggerated display.

My arms flexed and I growled as I felt rage enter my system. It was an instantaneous hate that ran through my veins, making me want to rip, tear, bite and drink. The venom that had gathered in my mouth now ran down my chin. Ronald and Carlos each lifted me slightly as I pulled my arms toward me as they tried to restrain me. They moved in the direction I pulled them and as I felt the rage go through me again, I threw Carlos back behind me, slightly registering that his body collided into something.

The momentum of throwing Carlos caused Ronald to continue to hold my arm but stand directly in the path of the human that had now moved 2 feet, 8 inches from the spot where Roberto told him to wait. I unflexed my arm and tried to release Ronald as I took a deep breath and my nostrils flared, pulling in his spicy scent.

Ronald released my arm but spoke quickly as I tried to look past him. The sounds and smells coming from the human in the room tantalized my senses. "Isa, just walk towards him. Don't charge him and don't kill him, yet."

_Yet._ I felt the weight of his words fall onto my shoulders. I was going to kill. I was going to feed. I took one very heavy, very slow step in the direction of the human just as Ronald stepped out of my line of sight.

The human laughed as I took another painstaking step in his direction. He had retreated 2 feet, 10 inches but was now walking slowly in my direction. I stopped and waited for him to approach me. I took in a large breath and let his scent invade my lungs. My throat, nose and mouth felt like they were on fire. But I held still and the human man now stood before me, my nose close to his chest. He was tall, standing six foot eight inches tall. His heartbeat was so close to my ears, I could feel his pulse wash over me like sound waves hitting the noise barrier.

_KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD_

I could feel the other vampires in the room move to my line of sight around the room, but I couldn't take my eyes off the human in front of me.

He looked in the direction of where I knew Roberto to be standing. I saw the goose bumps break out on his skin as he looked over to Ronald and then over to where Carlos stood. In what seemed like slow motion he pulled his hand back and came to slap me, I stepped back with fluid ease out of his reach. "Bitch. Come here, you couldn't kill a fly. I'm gonna do whatever I want with you. Little cunts like you need to be taught a lesson and I'm just the man for it." He reached again for me and I walked around to his back before he could finish his swinging momentum. I reached forward to touch his arm to pinch him, he moved so slow it seemed fake, like an animated figure. "Ouch, fuck!" He reached up to his arm as I looked down at my hand where a small chunk of his flesh remained in my fingers as did a large ripping piece of his shirt. Blood ran down his arm, to drip from his elbow. It hit the floor with a loud splat.

_KA-THUD, SPLAT, KA-THUD, SPLAT, KA-THUD, SPLAT_

I stepped back, pulling the right side of his shirt in a long rip. Seconds broke down to fractions as I watched the blood seep out of his wound; his heartbeat washed over my skin, caressing me. I closed my eyes, trying to savor the moment.

I felt something touch my cheek, it felt like someone rubbed a cotton ball across my skin. The sound of bones breaking echoed in the room. "FUCK!" the man screamed. My eyes flew open to see him holding his hand.

I felt, rather than saw Ronald approach me. He was at my back. "Right behind you Isa. You are doing well. Don't kill him; I'm just going to close his wound." And quickly, before the man could even register that Ronald had moved, he had licked up his arm, gathering the blood that would fall and then spit into his hand and rubbed it onto the wound. The human screamed as Ronald stepped behind me again. "Good Isa, great control."

Carlos approached me on my left side. "But pulling off chunks of flesh is not allowed." He walked up to me and slapped my face causing my head to shift and get closer to my hand that held the chunk of bloody flesh. I stuck out my tongue to taste it.

Once again I felt the slight tingle of euphoria as his blood hit my taste buds. As I turned involuntarily to pounce, Ronald and Carlos had me pinned to the floor. I struggled to find my human, he was mine.

_My meal, my food, my blood. Kill. Kill all who stand in my way._

I threw Ronald off easily as he tried to restrain my arms, pulling one slightly in an odd direction as I threw him with my other. Carlos tightened around my legs as I attempted to kick, trying to reach down to grab him and I realized that only one of my arms was working. I reached only to have Roberto grab the non-working arm and pull. Ronald was back, grabbing onto my good arm, pulling and twisting.

_Pain._ There was pain when they did that.

I stopped my struggle immediately as I realized that they were breaking me, I felt another muscle tear in my shoulder. I growled loudly but remained still.

"Tisk, tisk, tisk, Isa. You were doing so well." Carlos said from the death grip he held on my legs, keeping me pinned down. "Now, we're going to get up and you're not going to charge the human." As they did, they both released me.

I laid prone on the floor, realizing that my burlap dress had suffered in our struggle. One shoulder was barely held on by weak stitching and the other was in just as bad of shape. I felt air wash over areas of my body that were once covered and knew that some of the very short bottom was now exposing my backside where I currently laid, and some of my back. I stopped breathing and felt my shoulder pull, burn and sting. My arm that was still able to move ached as I rubbed the area on the other that hurt.

"That is mild to the pain of pulling it off. Don't fight me again, Isa."

Anger flashed behind my eyes as I stood and faced Carlos. "You didn't tell me to stop."

He laughed loudly and held his belly as he did so. "I guess you're right." He paused to look at Ronald, nodding. "Ok, follow him, but don't kill him."

I walked up to the human who was now looking at me like a car accident. "What is your name?" I asked simply. His eyes softened, looking at me. "Frank," his adams apple dipping down and then sliding up, as he answered with a thick swallow. He looked goofy happy and smiled as I looked him in the eye. "God, you're gorgeous." He palmed his crotch and I could see his arousal begin.

My eyes raked over his body and a growl erupted from my chest that surprised me, causing me to retreat a step. "Frank what?" I finally was able to speak.

"Frank Ramirez." He answered. My growl rumbled in my chest and then rose from my throat as a roar. He backed up two steps. I slowly stepped in his direction as he took off to the other side of the room. In a purposely slow stride I followed him, each step I took, he tried to quicken his pace but it was so inconsequential that I could barely register the fact that he was at a full out run and I felt as if I was barely walking. The human was breathing heavily, sweating, his heart beating so fast and so hard, it echoed in my mind with the sound and the force. His pulse beat rapidly in his neck.

_KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, __KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD, KA-THUD_

My body hummed. His heart beat washed over me, causing my flesh to tingle. I stood still watching him as he tried to flee. Carlos stepped to the center of the room and watched me carefully. "Isa. What was the second rule?"

My mind clicked and whirled, playing back and cataloguing his words from earlier. "Never feed before your superior officer has had their fill." I watched the human run, saw his heart beat in his pulse point. He ran past Ronald and he grabbed my human quickly and stood with him between himself and Carlos. They held the human up, he was gasping for air, sweat covering his body, soaking his skin. I cared not, I just wanted what was mine. I eyed as Carlos opened his mouth to sink his teeth into the flesh where his blood ran in spurts under the delicate skin. I growled.

Roberto darted out of the door on the south side of the room and the door closed with a soft click. I stood still and held my breath as Carlos and Ronald leaned into him, slowly. I held still, but could feel the involuntary growl continue to rumble from my chest. They both smiled wickedly and stepped back and I roared watching them laugh at me. My body began to vibrate as my desire for his blood began to create an invisible rope pull me towards him. As I stepped one step in their direction, I heard the door open loudly, adding two heart beats to the one already in the room.

Carlos and Ronald dropped my human and walked over to where Roberto entered with more. Without hesitation, both of them sunk their teeth into their victims, pulling their blood in long draws. They both swallowed with grace and beauty. Both with their eyes closed, watching pure bliss cross their features with each pull. I watched them with awe and hunger. They had pulled again and the blood they drank hit my senses. I locked my knees, anchoring myself to the spot where I stood. I stopped breathing. I tensed every muscle; hand, forearm, bicep, shoulder, chest, neck, jaw, stomach, butt, thigh, calf, toes. Repeat, tighten each muscle a little bit more. And again. I heard my human's heart slow slightly and heard him hit the floor, but my eyes stayed on Carlos and Ronald as they fed. There was no blood to be seen. I closed my eyes and listened to their victim's hearts slow. They were killing them. I stood like a statute, holding still, not breathing, not looking. I didn't want to do this. I don't want to be a monster. I will stand still like this until they leave.

"Your turn Isa," Carlos purred. His breath warm on my neck. I held my position. I could hear movement; they were doing something with my human. My human Frank. He may deserve to die but it didn't need to be by my hands.

**SLAP**

My eyes flew open to see Carlos within six inches of my face, leaning down menacingly. "Your turn Isa." He commanded. "Do it without making a mess of things." He smiled showing enough teeth giving me a jolt of fear that I sucked in a breath, smelling the blood on his breath.

_Blood, blood, blood._

I flexed my muscles again.

**SLAP**

Carlos screamed in my face. "YOUR TURN ISA. DO IT." He grabbed my shoulders turning me to face Ronald who now held Frank. He was a human monster.

I catalogued his face carefully. Dark hair, dark eyes, fear in those eyes as he looked at the victims on the floor. His eyes darted to me. He put his hands forward to push me away, but I barely registered the pressure against me. I reached up and pulled him to me. I breathed in his scent, feeling him struggle as I pulled him to me effortlessly. He cried out, his arms smacking at me and his legs trying to flee, but I held firm, crushing his shoulder. I held still.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again. I just liked the girls. I won't do it again. I'm sick, I'll get help. Just let me go." He pleaded.

Anger flashed before my eyes as my imagination ran with his image violating women and girls. Taking advantage, raping, drugging, and doing what he wanted to victim after defenseless victim.

I smiled as I let my demon take over and bit into Frank Ramirez's warm flesh.

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><p><strong>AN: You know the drill… review… sneak peek… yadda yadda yadda… Love - Vic<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 10**

_Rompe tu mente_

_Break your mind_

**BPOV**

**Ok once again – before you read this chapter *READ THIS* there was a huge disclaimer at the beginning of this story; this chapter comes with a warning, no joke. There is some bad stuff this chapter, if this isn't your cup of Joe, stop reading. **

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><p>The lessons continued and they felt never-ending. It turns out that Carlos is the strongest vampire in the whole compound, well except for me. I beat him in a couple little arm wrestling and mercy contests, but he had me beat in the strategy department. I have watched him carefully. Although he seems to be an unimposing person, he is the real deal. The man's man.<p>

We continued to train in that circular room for hours that turned into days. First Ronald, then Carlos. Ronald has an ability that he is constantly trying to use on me, but since I'm broke it doesn't work. He won't tell me what it is; only that it has never not worked on someone. He seems very frustrated.

We train, we feed. They have started to feed first and then try to get me to not make such a mess. Maria stopped in on the last lesson in feeding. She has forbidden me from asking their names again. Only human, she states. I have now fed on six humans.

Ronald informed me yesterday that I was a week old, a week. Time is an odd thing to a vampire. One moment seems to be so long, but the time as you look back has gone so fast.

I've been told that over the next several days I will meet everyone in the compound and train with them in some form or fashion. Carlos chuckles frequently about my training, he loves to slap me. It's degrading and he knows it. I haven't pushed back very much, I need to find my place here and I'd like to do it in one piece. He has given me insight frequently as to how Maria decides punishment. And they say that punishment for female soldiers is always worse than the men.

Ronald very delicately explained the process of being dismembered which sounded like a very unpleasant experience to say the least. I wanted to avoid that kind of activity.

After an easy balance test from Ronald, where I had to stand on one foot, hold a plate on a stick and then hop around the room as quickly as I could, he held up his hand indicating for me to stop as we heard an approach. They had taught me about scents some. He waited for my assessment.

"The scent is a regular at this compound, female, but I have never met her." I assessed. I could smell her shampoo, it was honeysuckle scented and her soap was green tea infused. I could also smell the nail polish she had very recently applied, but her scent was a sweet floral scent. I did not know her.

A soft knock on the door gave me the moment I needed to prepare to meet a new member of the team. I felt nervous. The team accepting me and training me would determine my survival. Ronald gave her an acknowledgement and the door opened and in came a beautiful young woman. She was mid-thirties, with dark hair and a small frame. Her almond shaped eyes gave you the impression that there was Asian in her lineage.

"Hello Isa. I am Jasmine. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." She said in a soft voice that I didn't recognize. I have heard many voices filter into this chamber of the vampires in this compound but not hers. I held my hand out to her and in the most delicate manner possible, shook her hand.

"Hello." Was all I could say. She smiled wide in a happy manner, one of the first that I had seen here. It was a genuine smile.

"I am here to show you around the compound. Show you to your real room and get you some proper attire. Ronald and Carlos have given you a passing grade for your first series of lessons." She turned serious as she looked me up and down. "Then we will all go for a run." There was a warning in her tone. I nodded getting her meaning.

She held her hand out in invitation and when I grabbed her hand she quickly pulled me out of the room and down the hallway. The compound was a series of corridors. All mud houses with clay roofs. My senses were sensitive out here in the hallway. The sights were all new and the smell of humans could be detected although I could hear no heartbeats.

Jasmine laughed loudly as she watched me take in my surroundings as we turned down another long corridor. She stopped abruptly at a small green door. "This is my room. If you should ever need me, I'm usually in here when I'm not otherwise occupied." I nodded. She smiled a warm smile again and then turned abruptly around to the opposite side of the hallway to an unfinished wooden door. "This is your room." She held her hand out to me to proceed.

I took a deep breath as I looked at the doorknob. It was dented and rusted, well used, but sturdy enough to work. I reached out and gently tested the durability of the knob and gripped as gently as possible and turned with painstakingly slowness until it moved the tumblers inside and I heard the latch move, releasing the door. It creaked open slowly and stale air and dust that was inside assaulted my nose and eyes.

I stepped inside looking around. The room had not been used in many, many years. It was once a male vampire's room from the looks of the layout. A small cot with a nightstand was placed on the side of the room opposite the window that was tall above the floor. The window must have been at least fifteen feet from the floor. There was a small rod that was connected to the window and secured to the wall. Jasmine flitted into the room paying no mind to the dust floating in the air that I had stirred by opening the door. She turned the handle on the rod and the window noisily creaked as it opened.

"Let's let some fresh air into this room." The light had barely filtered through the dirty window but when she opened it, it was like a beacon of light that spotlighted the desk and chair that sat on the adjoining wall.

There was a small closet with the door slightly ajar and a bookshelf with several books on the shelves. Many were missing but they looked well read.

"You can clean out what you want and decide how you want to decorate. I'm usually the person who finds things that we want." Her tone was teasing as she said this and she turned with an impish grin as she said it. I looked at her with a smirk and raised an eyebrow. "I like you Isa. You don't babble on and on. Your reserve will serve you well here." She winked and nodded toward the door. "I'll be right back."

She flitted out the door in a flash, leaving me standing in middle of the dirty room. I tried to take in a deep breath only to feel my lungs fill with dirt and dust motes. I should be choking and sneezing, but my body refused to react in the ways I expected. I noticed that the room had an L in the room where it sectioned off to another part, so I walked forward to the area surprised to find a bathtub with a pump, a small stove with a pot, I assume for boiling water and a shelf with boots lined up along the wall. I walked over to the boots, they were for a man. They varied in style from work type boots, to dress boots made of fine leather, to moccasins to a more rustic looking cowboy style. I counted nine sets of boots, all too large to fit me. I looked down to my feet. They were caked in dirt as were my legs. The burlap dress had been repaired several times by Ronald but resembled a bad bag with strings holding it in place.

I walked over to the tub and looked suspiciously at the pump. I raised the handle and pushed down lightly feeling the pressure. The first stroke pushed out more stale air and dust but you could smell the water. I pushed again and it coughed up some water, sputtering out air and water splattering my legs instead of the tub. I started to pump the handle up and down pumping out more water and less air with each stroke until finally I had a good stream of water coming out of the spigot into the tub filling it half way already.

I stopped pumping and the water trickled to a stop and the tub stood with the water. The water was not particularly clean as I should have found something to wipe out the dusty tub before filling. Looking around the room I did not see any kind of soap where I could wash my hair or my body and as I started to walk toward Jasmine's room her door opened and she walked out holding a basket with shampoo, body wash, a scrubby, towels, a pair of jeans, shoes, bra, underwear and a shirt. A basket of fabulous.

The smile that broke out on my face hurt I hadn't done it in so long. The words escaped my mouth before I could process what I was saying. "Oh my god Jasmine, you are a gift from heaven in this hell." I put my hand over my mouth before I said any more verbal garbage. Gathering my thoughts as she handed me the basket with a smile. "Thank you Jasmine."

"You're welcome Isa. There is everything you'll need to get yourself settled. We can get a list together of things you want for your room or when you're ready, we can go out together and get them."

I liked her. She made me feel at ease. It was the first time since I became a vampire that I felt like I was drawing an easy breath. I nodded and rushed quickly back to my room to the tub that sat still with water. I pulled the plug quickly and let the water drain, using my hands to stir the water down the drain, getting as much of the dirt down the drain.

I quickly re-filled the tub, stripped off my patched up sack dress and stepped into the chilled liquid. The temperature barely registered against my skin as I tried to ease back and soak. Finding no relaxing relief, I reached over to the shampoo and washed my hair three times as I realized it was filthy. By the time I had finished bathing, I had re-filled the tub four times. After learning the way in which to touch fabric earlier I dressed myself quickly and ran my hands through my hair to remove the tangles. I stood in my room and looked at the surface dirt that covered everything. I walked back to my washcloth and rewet it from wringing it and hanging it to dry, and started to wipe off the desk surface. The clothing that Jasmine had given me looked like something that I would have worn. Skinny jeans, t-shirt, chucks and as I looked down at myself I realized that I had worn this outfit before. A long time ago.

A soft knock at the door pulled me out of my attire musings. I walked over to the door and took in a deep breath and realizing that it was Jasmine I opened the door with a smile on my face.

"They fit you." She cheered. "I wasn't sure of your size. I'd only seen you once and had to guess. You're a couple of sizes bigger than me, so it was a little difficult to judge."

"Jasmine, you outdid yourself. This is perfect. How did you know this is how I like to dress?" Well, at least a few years ago.

"Oh, Maria has a picture of you and you are wearing something just like this in the picture. I thought this would suffice until we can work out a way to get you what you want."

"They're perfect." I replied.

"Part of the group was planning on going for a run. It will be dark in thirty minutes. I was going to show you around some more before we went out. It's a good night for it. Ready?"

So this time when she showed me around the compound, she pointed out other's rooms; names that I didn't have faces for. She did inform me that there were ten of us total in this compound. Humans came in once a week and that each of us were assigned "tasks" to keep the compound running smoothly.

Helen and Miguel both were part of our hunting crew. Miguel primarily went out on the hunt for gifted vampires when Maria was looking for a new conquest, otherwise he went with Helen. Helen usually tried to bring in groups of ten or more. At the beginning we were given an allotment of three humans a week, but once I had reached a year old my hunger would subside and I could function well with one per week.

She provided a lot of information and asked me no questions. This gave me a sense of relief.

She was still new to this life as well. She was eight months old and had been in control of her bloodlust long enough to be assigned the task of gatherer; mainly because she was so fast. They had determined that was her gift. She was super fast. She could steal anything we needed.

She noted that I had met Roberto, he was our resident tracker, and he did it by his heightened sense of smell. He ran the stockade with Stephan and they shared duties of cleaning the compound. She warned me to never keep a rotting corpse in my room. It took a very short amount of time in the heat to have a body begin to decompose and release horrid odors.

My previous trainers Carlos and Ronald were part of the patrols for the compound and a large part of what you would call the maintenance crew. Our compound was rather rudimentary and required very little upkeep but should we have a storm, there were always things that needed to be worked on.

The last vampire other than Maria was Garth. He was an old vampire; One of the few that had survived with Maria over the years. He had an odd ability to knock out a vampire but it took a little bit of time. He was a melancholy man who she was still uncertain of his duties at the compound. She said he was what you would call Maria's second in command. He usually stayed out of sight. But he watched a lot of TV, talked a lot on the phone and wanted to spend some time with me to assess my knowledge of the computer and other various electronic pieces of equipment.

We had gathered in a common area that they frequently went to for meetings and such. One by one six more vampires joined us. Carlos and Ronald joined us looking much different than when we were training; they looked almost handsome in their cleaned up state and nice attire.

"Stop it Ronald." Jasmine chastised.

He held his hands out in a motion and asked "What?" as she turned to look at me.

"Do you feel that?" She questioned. I had no idea what she was talking about. I shook my head no and she turned to Ronald. "Ok, so she's not getting your message, stop sending that shit out."

He held a smirk on his face as he leaned back on the wall as others approached. Roberto entered looking cleaned up as well.

"Are we going somewhere special?" I asked. Jasmine raised an eyebrow but just smiled softly as she nodded yes.

"There is our newbie." I heard from the hallway as I saw two remotely familiar vampires enter the area. I blinked my eyes several times as I realized this was the cowboy/kidnapper vampire from the bar. My human eyes did him no justice. He was of Mexican heritage, thick built with rippling muscles under a compact frame. He stood of a shorter stature than the other men I had met at about five foot six inches. He had a thick head of hair that he had combed back and it reached just a tad at the shaggy stage, a hard jaw line and a dimple in his right cheek when he smiled.

Approaching with him was a woman that I recognized as well. She was also of Mexican heritage with dark hair and sharp features, standing the same height as he did.

She reached out her hand. "Hello Isa, my name is Helen. You make a beautiful vampire."

I didn't really know how to respond to that. I shook her hand and could only mumble out a "Thank you."

"My name is Miguel. It's a pleasure to meet you again." He changed his speech to a slow southern drawl and had a smirk cocked to one side of his face.

We finished with the greetings as the group that had gathered with me now totaled seven.

Jasmine called out a last call for a run tonight. I heard another set of footsteps coming up from behind me and turned to watch the approaching vampire. He was not like the other vampires at all. All the other vampires here held a regal beauty that took your breath away. He was cute. He looked like a puppy that you wanted to take home.

For a man he was more than petite. He made me feel tall. He was very pale with white hair and skinny. The haunted look in his face you could tell he wasn't a child, but his outward appearance looked very close. He rolled his eyes as he approached me and held out his hand.

In a voice that was smooth and mature came "Hello Isa. Name's Garth. Welcome." He smiled his full smile, as if putting on a show and bowed slightly. He had a slight accent that I could not place but was polite enough. He turned to Jasmine. "This is it. Maria and Stephan are occupied." He said with a serious tone.

"Well then, that's everyone. Let's run to Juarez and go to Hotel Villa Manport. Or would you rather go to Salon Mexico?" She looked around the room to the group as no one answered. She looked to me. "Do you dance?"

I laughed. "Not well, but I do, yes." She smiled big.

"Salon Mexico then, let's head out to the Salalayuca Dunes first." She grabbed my hand and led me out a door at the back of this area and we stepped out into the setting sun on the sandy surface of our compound. She turned to me. "Have you run as fast as you can yet?' I shook my head no, she smiled slow as everyone filed out. "Go, I'll give you a three second head start."

I remember riding on the back of Edward as a human. The wind whipping on my face, the sting as the air assaulted my skin. A shiver vibrated down my spine at the thought of Edward Cullen. That was a lifetime ago.

I laid my hand on my chest as I took in a deep breath, feeling my amulet still around my neck I felt the confidence that I wouldn't fall down and make a fool of myself and took off like a bullet shot out of a gun. I could hear the others as they took off behind me but I stayed in front, running south as the lights faded from our compound and the stars started to peek out in the early night sky.

The muscles in my legs felt renewed as I ran. They contracted and released without thought as I pushed my new body harder than I ever had. I concentrated on getting a rhythm and pushed harder. Hearing a tinkling laugh and then a breeze whoosh by me I watched as Jasmine ran circles around all of us. Even with heightened vampire senses she was hard to follow she was so fast. Unless she paced herself to our slower gait she was a blur. I can only imagine to a human that she never even registered as present on their senses.

She ran circles around me laughing as she ran backwards as well, looking back to the group that was quickly falling behind.

_I should run. Run away from these people. Could they catch me? Where would I go?_

Jasmine. She could catch me. She would stop me from running away. She slowed down and watched me as the thoughts raced in my mind. She never said anything, but I could tell she was watching to see if I would try to bolt. She pointed in a different direction and I followed her lead as we raced across the sandy landscape.

We had arrived at the sand dunes and watched as the moon began its assent over the horizon. The desert held a golden glow as the moonlight hit the sand. I stood on top of a high point and watched as the others joined us about a minute later.

Carlos stepped forward and approached me with a mischievous grin on his face. "Well, I lost that bet. You just cost me twenty bucks little girl." My eyes went wide as I looked around at the group. "I figured you'd try to run the first chance you got." I steeled my look, put my hands on my hips and tried to give him the dirtiest look I could muster but he only laughed. "You don't scare me little missy." He laughed harder as I tried to look mean, which by how the others were now starting to laugh only proved that I wasn't a real threat to anyone, vampire or not.

Ronald stepped up to my side now, grabbing my attention. "Ok, after Carlos has pissed you off, now we want to try an experiment."

A smile crossed my lips as I started to feel everyone's anticipation. "Ok, I'm game"

"I was hoping you'd say that." He looked around as each vampire focused in on the conversation. "Ok, now each of us here has an ability. We want to see if you can block us all." He said in a challenge.

"At the same time?" I asked. I tired to formulate how I would manage that. Did my blocking work that way? I didn't know.

"Let's work on one at a time first and then we'll go for broke, ok?"

"Ok. Let's go."

Helen approached me first with a hopeful look on her face and concentrated hard, looking me directly in the eyes. "Smack your face Isa. Pull back and smack it hard."

I crossed my arms and smiled. "Nope, that's still not working on me." As I remembered her trying to get me to do what she asked as a human and it not working then.

"Ok then, go over and smack Ronald." She said with a small smile and a wink. I walked over and smacked Ronald lightly across the cheek and then turned to Helen and winked. Ronald held his cheek like I had hurt him.

"You did that on purpose."

I could only smile before Helen busted out laughing. "Ok ok, it still doesn't work on her."

So then Ronald walked up behind me and slowly put his arms around my shoulders and kissed my temple. "Let's go over to the other side of the sand dune and fuck." He said crudely. I turned in his arms and before I could smack him he backed away with his hands in the air. "Sorry, sorry, sorry. I figured it wouldn't work, but I had to try."

"What the fuck is wrong with you Ronald?" I yelled as I looked at him. But I could smell Jasmine and Helen's arousal hit the air. He was doing something, but I couldn't tell what.

He furrowed his brow in concentration and tried to step towards me but I stepped back. I could feel the tension from the vampires around me. Then Ronald looked like he became tired and his eyes drooped. What ever he was doing he stopped and looked behind me, growling.

"If you don't stop that, everyone here is going to fuck you. Well, except for Isa." Garth snarked looking a little perturbed.

I turned back to Ronald. "Ok, so what is your ability? I'm confused."

He just turned and walked away, going over to a raised dune and sitting down in the sand. He looked like he was pouting. A couple in the group laughed.

Garth walked towards me and smiled sweetly. "It's never not worked for any of us, so you need to understand how frustrating this is." I just looked at him with a raised eyebrow and crossed my arms with a 'humph' "He's an incubus. You're supposed to be so aroused by him and his mental mind fuck that you want to jump him here in front of everyone. You're the first person here that he can't entice."

I had to lean my head back and laugh a huge big belly laugh. When I looked over at him and his big pouting eyes I could only laugh more. I was gasping for breath and was trying to gather myself when Garth spoke again.

"And now it's my turn." I stopped my laughing fit and became serious as he concentrated on me. I watched as his eyes grew black and his fists balled up tight. I could feel something, like a plink plink plink hitting my mind, but nothing was making it through.

"Distraction!" Carlos called out and he ran up and pushed me back, hard. I fell to my rear end, but stood up quickly while Garth was still concentrating on me.

He finally stopped his concentrated efforts to knock me out as he finally realized that it didn't' work on me either. "Can you protect anyone else?" He asked me.

"I don't know how to." I responded quickly. He looked over to Jasmine and smiled.

"Try to keep me from knocking her out." He said as he turned and started to concentrate on her. I walked over to her and tried to imagine absorbing the mental onslaught he was sending her way but her eyes drooped and she swayed on her feet, falling into my arms as I lowered her to the ground. She looked asleep, eyes closed and breathing deeply.

_You should run now. She was the only one who could catch you. They can't get me right now. Run, Run, Run…._

"I can see your wheels turning in your mind young one. Don't do it. No one leaves. We're like Hotel California out here sweetheart. 'we are all just prisoners here, of our own device' or 'You can check out any time you like. But you can never leave.' It'll be in your mind forever. This is the only place you'll ever belong. You will love us and you will hate us. But we stick together, we are all we have. We have shit for money, we have a leader who has given up and changed her philosophy on life and changed the way we operate, we have shelter, a steady stream of blood, a process that works and together we make it work. We are all we have in this world!"

Garth took a large breath before he started again on his rant. I looked up at him and could almost feel his frustration. "We've all ran away at one point. And it may not be today and it may not be tomorrow, but you will be found. It's never a good thing to be brought back."

"So you can really never leave?" I asked.

"The only people who have left and not been hunted down and brought back or killed have been mated." Miguel interjected.

"What's so special about that?" I looked at Miguel as he kicked a rock on the ground, arms folded across his chest.

Garth growled. "That's what led to the demise of Maria's last army. She had a hundred vampires strong but she had two vampires that were mated and ran off. She sent a party out to hunt them down and it caused many of the vampires to run who were hiding their mates. The remaining vampires attacked the escaping mating vampires and they killed most of them. They turned on her and anyone who was faithful to her. We narrowly escaped with our lives." He looked haunted, he looked worn. "There were ten of us who survived. When one of our original group mated, we let them go. There have been four of them who mated and were released from the army. Several of them come back and check on the operations here from time to time. They even stay for awhile sometimes."

"What happened to the others?" I asked.

Garth plopped down on the ground as did everyone else watching me as he told the tales of armies and wars, battles and victories, battles and losses. How some humans that have been changed, living in this environment were not made for this life. How they would willingly walk into the fire, how some run away so they would be killed. We couldn't kill ourselves and asking another to do so was taboo.

"Ok, ok. Enough depressing shit." Jasmine interjected as Garth was winding down. "It's midnight and it's time to hit the bars." She pulled out a pouch and handed each of us some money. I mimicked the others and put it in my pocket and followed everyone as we ran some more across the desert to a more populated area.

I could smell the humans and their environment. There was blood and heartbeats, but the smell of urine, food and sweat permeated the air as we approached the establishment. It was a run down shack of a bar. A place that as a human, I wouldn't have even wanted to drive by. But upon our entrance the patrons merely nodded as we entered and then returned to their activities of playing darts, pool, or dancing. It was dark and dank in the building. Miguel approached the bar and ordered a bottle of clear liquid and then returned to the table we had gathered around and poured each of us a glass.

"To Isa not running away and to us not having to chase her down tonight!" He cheered with a big smile looking at me. "Good to see that you passed another test!" He exclaimed as he took the drink of his glass. Everyone else did the same, so I threw my drink back, feeling the burn of the alcohol go down my throat and seep into my body as it paved it's way down to my organs.

"That's me. A model student." I exclaimed. As if I had a chance to be a student.

_My dreams. My hopes. My life. Stolen._

We danced until the music stopped and we drank until our money ran out. As the patrons stumbled out of the bar and to their various destinations we walked down the road. The neighborhood looked rough but we looked like an odd ball group walking down the street to a passerby. Two men standing well over six feet tall, one average height and one small, traveling with three dark haired women, all of different ethnical backgrounds. You'd think we were an episode of Star Trek. I followed the group as we wandered in what appeared to be a worse neighborhood. Jasmine grabbed my hand and smiled as she turned us down a particularly bad looking alley. As we walked down the alley there were homeless people lying asleep under newspapers and a small gathering at the end.

A rather unscrupulous man with gold teeth and clothing that looked too expensive turned to look at us. In Spanish he barked at us, "I don't sell to anyone I don't know. Unless you know someone, get the fuck out!"

Jasmine said nothing. She dropped my hand and crooked her finger giving the man a 'come here' gesture. I stood beside her and watched the others in the alley as they watched us. Their heartbeats calmed down as he turned to watch Jasmine. As they spread out, there were a total of 4 men. They stood shoulder to shoulder and started to walk toward us.

I had a moment of anxiety watching them approach us. Two of them were high. I could smell that their blood was tainted. Their hearts were beating strong though and their blood moved unhindered throughout their bodies. They were all about my age. I could feel my bloodlust rise as they walked closer and closer to us. Once they reached about fifteen feet, I stopped breathing. I turned to Jasmine.

"You need to do this fast. I'm not sure how long I can wait." I was out of air and they were a foot closer. I stood still not breathing, but watching them as they approached us with smug expressions.

"Two for each of us honey. You'll be fine. Have you ever had two at once?" She smirked as she said it.

I shook my head no and turned to watch the men as they neared. The two walking toward me were licking their lips and rubbing themselves. If I had been human, I would have gagged. I'm sure my expression showed as much.

"Aw come on sweetie, we'll be gentle. A little fuck for some smack?" The one with the gold teeth, obviously the dealer said to me.

He reached me and grabbed my arm, trying to pull me close to him. I did not move. I saw Jasmine give me a nod and I leaned in towards him, he leaned in to kiss me and I bit into his neck at the same time I grabbed his friend who had tried to walk up behind me.

I pulled on his blood as he screamed as did the other men in the alley. I had him drained and was draining the other human in a matter of moments. I pulled the last of his blood, his heart stopping abruptly. Feeling full and sloshy, I tossed my second meal's body into a dumpster that stood a few feet away.

I watched as Jasmine pulled from her second meal. She savored the blood. She stopped feeding, a small drop of blood on her lip and then winked at me, only to return pulling slowly as the man tried to push her away. His heart beat erratically, stuttering and jumping to a start again. She pulled slower and swallowed the blood.

_I would like to do that that way. I can learn a lot from her._

She finished off her meal, emptied his pockets, picked the jewelry off of him and then tossed him into the dumpster. "Make sure you get their money and jewelry. Drug dealers always have lots of cash."

I turned and picked the pockets and took the jewelry off my human, stuffing his goods in my pockets and then tossed his body into the dumpster. Jasmine pulled out a small bottle that smelled like an accelerant and tossed it into the dumpster. A few moments later Miguel and Helen came down the alley quickly, tossing more bodies into the dumpster.

"Torch it." Helen called out as she climbed the wall to the other side of the alley. Jasmine lit a flame and the dumpster lit quickly. The smell of burning flesh filling the area quickly. We jumped the wall and met up with our group on the edge of town.

We started running back to the compound; dawn would be upon us quickly. I wasn't really sure if I had any friends here, but I had some good colleagues. As long as we stuck together, we were good. God help us if we turned on one another.

…**xxxXXXxxx…..**

We returned to the compound as dawn broke. The group went ahead inside but Jasmine and I sat outside to watch the sun rise. I watched in awe as the orb rose above the horizon hitting our skin. Jasmine was gorgeous. For that moment, I felt beautiful. I was one of the chosen. I was a vampire.

Jasmine was going to take me through more of the compound that she hadn't shown me. We slowly pulled ourselves out of our sunrise stupor and started to wind through the facility. She told me it had been abandoned a hundred years ago and that off and on for the last ninety years Maria and her army had occupied it.

As we wound through the compound we heard a whimper that sounded as if someone was in pain. It was a female. Jasmine grabbed my hand and I looked over to her where she had her hand in front of her mouth showing me the Shhhh signal. She made no sound as she stepped forward toward the door that lead to one of Maria's rooms.

Jasmine laid down on the ground and looked under the door, complete horror crossing her features. She quickly rose, grabbed my hand and pulled me down the corridor. As we neared the end, Jasmine reached a door and began to turn the knob when we heard the command.

"You two, halt!" She stopped turning the doorknob and strengthened the grip on my hand as she turned to look at the man that had given the order.

My eyes scanned the unfamiliar vampire from a distance. His coal black hair was long and pulled back into a tight pony tail. The smile on his face was more of a smirk, as it curved to the right side of his face. He was dressed in a simple white t-shirt, pulled across his chest and black carpenter pants that slung low on his waist, secured nicely by a black leather belt. He wore some kind of loafers on his feet that looked expensive and leather as well.

He wasn't beautiful, he was masculine. He made the word macho man come to mind. He waved his hand for us to come closer. Jasmine's feet were planted on the floor and as I stepped forward she allowed me to drag her forward.

When I started to step forward he smiled larger. "Good to see you doing so well Isa. I am Stephan." When he was about 5 feet from me his scent assaulted my senses.

_DANGER DANGER DANGER. Violator, rapist, kill him._

I froze. Jasmine was frozen. She pulled me back, I stepped back. He stepped forward and I could not hold in the roar that ripped from my chest.

He smirked again. "Tsk tsk tsk Isa. That is no way to greet your superior officer."

There are no words for the hatred that burned through my veins. I knew who he was. His cum was on me when I woke from my change. He did something vile to me and I could not have been more thankful that I could not remember it. Only his smell. Black licorice and onions.

He chuckled dark as he pounced on me, smacking Jasmine back. I twisted and shifted my weight to flip him on his back and bit him in his neck as he grabbed my arm, pulling hard.

I could feel the tendons and ligaments burn as they tore under my skin. I sunk my teeth in deeper and bit through his collarbone, pulling out a chunk of his flesh and bones as I jerked towards my injured arm. He swept his arms toward me as I retreated, growling, crouching and snarling as I readied myself in a crouch for his attack.

Jasmine pulled on my good arm, trying to get me to leave the hallway. I turned to look at her frightened expression as he roared in our direction. Jasmine jumped high, pulling me with her as she zipped around him and ran into the room he had come from. She bolted the door and we turned to see our commander Maria in a misshapen, broken state. The room smelled of sex and Stephan's cum. Maria had been aroused, but she was not coherent now. Her eyes were faded to a pale white. Her neck was broken, head lying to the side. As were her arms and her legs. In several places it looked like she had been folded up onto herself. Her arms and legs were behind her body, tied up with steel cable. Her entire lower body had been penetrated so repeatedly that she was covered in cum and split flesh. Even her hair had been pulled back and wound into the cable. Her jaw looked dislocated.

"Oh shit. This is bad Isa. This is really bad." Jasmine whispered as she approached Maria. She unfurled the steel cable from Maria's hair and then from her arms and legs. Gently she picked her up from the bench she had been laid prone on and moved her to the bed. Stretching her out and lining up her limbs Maria lay there still, her body not looking like she was healing.

"BLOOD! SOMEONE BRING MARIA BLOOD NOW!" Jasmine screamed.

The door exploded open and Stephan, Ronald and Carlos entered. We had covered Maria, so she merely looked like she was laying in bed but her eyes told a different story. They were white and glazed over.

"To the hall of punishments for you Jasmine and Isa. You are to never attack a superior officer."

"That is never going to happen." I growled out. They started to approach me and I flanked Jasmine's side. "Run girl, run away from them. I'll be right behind you." I whispered so low, only she could have heard.

She ran, but not far. She was erratic and confused with their tactics. Stephan charged me first, but I slipped out of his grasp and rolled beside Carlos. He turned and slapped me, knocking me against the wall, causing plaster to fall around me.

I looked up to see that Garth had entered the room and was staring at Jasmine. I ran toward her wanting to keep her from being knocked out. I felt my mind expand and pull her into me.

_Protect her. Keep her safe._

She perked up and pulled me closer to her. "Oh fuck Isa, how did you do that?" Garth only smiled and nodded to Carlos. Carlos walked over to Ronald and smirked, grabbing him and throwing him at us. I dodged his flying body rolling to the side and Jasmine followed, but my mind couldn't keep her safe. She crumbled and fell. She looked like she was resting. As I watched her fall asleep, Carlos and Stephan charged me, pulling me apart. It was painful, but not as bad as he had described. The open wounds stopped being painful once they pulled my head from my body.

As they dismembered me, I watched the scene like an out of body experience. Roberto entered with a human and took them over to Maria, spilling their blood into her mouth feeding her, she gasped air and her body jerked. Her eye color came back as she drank from the human. Roberto lowered the body and she clamped onto it, pulling and pulling until the heart stopped abruptly. I could hear her bones, muscles and tendons healing, sounding like an old wheel starting up after a long time of rest.

Jasmine was still in her state of rest when Maria sat up. My head was sitting near Jasmine, but I could not see where my body was. I think I felt it behind me.

"What happened?" She asked sounding and looking confused.

Stephan walked up, smile on his face, rubbing the back of his neck as he approached her. "We were having a good time and you, well, you blacked out. These two, charged the room, attacked me. Ronald, Carlos and Garth came to rescue me."

Maria looked to Roberto and nodded at him, he left with the dead human scurrying down the hallway.

Carlos picked up my pieces, while Stephan picked up Jasmine and took us to an area that Jasmine had not showed me. Carlos set me in the room and left as Stephan carried in Jasmine. It was dark and dank.

Stephan set up the room carefully. He perched my head on a shelf where I had a good view of the room, like it was set up specifically for that purpose. My senses weren't in top condition but I'm positive you could smell old spilt venom in this room. Many vampires had been brought here.

Jasmine began to stir. Stephan grabbed her head and pulled her close to him and stared into her eyes, concentrating hard. She tried to fight, but in her weakened state she could barely find purchase on his clothes before her eyes went blank, void of all color. He smiled and turned her head, looking at me while whispering in her ear. "You are going to forget everything you saw in Maria's room. You are going to forget what happened in the hallway and anything of our skirmish girl. Poof." He smiled as her body went limp and she stopped fighting.

Blank stare. Just the whites of her eyes.

I watched as he bent her body, breaking bones, snapping tendons. Twisting and turning her body into a pretzel shaped mess. He smiled at me as he unbuckled his belt, unzipping his pants to pull out his hard member, stroking himself as he watched my expression.

"So you see what you interrupted Isa." He said my name like a snake. "You interrupted my fun. So now you and little Jasmine can take her place. I'm going to let you watch it all, feel it all. Then I'll make you forget it all, just like all the others." He smiled evilly as he took his liberties, "and then I'll do it again and again." I closed my eyes trying to escape from this hell. I heard bones break with his actions. He grabbed my head and screamed at me. "You will watch this Isa. Every minute, or I will bite your eyelids off and you'll have to fuse them back on later!"

So I watched. Everything. Every sick thing he liked to do. He's a sick fucker.

This went on for days, maybe weeks. Time meant little when it's like this. I became very weak from the loss of venom and welcomed the moments in which I lost consciousness. It wasn't like being passed out. It was like being in a coma, or what I imagined what a coma would be like. You can't feel anything, you can't see anything, and you can hear some things. You lose all feelings to everything. At some point I awoke to a broken jaw as well. Stephan's venom filling my mouth. In my state, I couldn't even gag.

Emotions and feelings don't exist in this physical state. Actions are just that at some point, but my memories are catalogued carefully.

Finally after whatever time had been expected of us to be in here Maria arrived with Roberto in tow. They fed Jasmine blood, she drank greedily. Her body so starved that it only served to make her body hurt while it tried to heal. She cried out in pain. Roberto brought her another human before she could sit up.

Maria pulled her to standing and removed her from the room to talk to her. The smell of blood making me so thirsty and desperate that my mind reeled; I was out of it again.

Sometime later Roberto brought me blood. They had laid my body out to fuse it back together. Stretched out on a slab of something. My mind couldn't focus on anything more that then blood they poured down my throat. The healing started slowly. A knock on the door brought in Stephan. Their voices were so low that I could not hear what they were saying, but Maria and Roberto left, leaving me with him. He grabbed my head and stared into my eyes, concentrating hard. As with the others, I knew he was doing something, but my mind was closed to him.

"Your mind is blank Isa." He looked surprised. "Nothing. No doors, no memories, nothing." I continued to stare at him and didn't try to say anything. He got that look on his face again, concentrating. "Stop it! Whatever you are doing, stop!" He growled. He slammed my head into the slab that I was laying on. He growled. "You can't keep your mind from me. I'll wipe you clean." Trying several more times he finally turned to me. "I don't know if that worked or not, but I suggest you keep your mouth shut if not, I'll do it again." I grunted with disgust but couldn't form words yet. "There isn't a vampire here I haven't had Isa. Not a one of them remember anything. I can have or do anything I want here. Just keep that in mind." He slammed my head back again, squeezing my skull. I could hear the bones creak under the pressure.

He concentrated on me for a few more seconds before he walked out the door, leaving me there speechless. I was seething in anger but could do nothing to protect myself or to protect anyone for that matter.

Roberto entered the room alone this time. More blood, dirty blood. I lay on the slab and healed. This is how it was going to be. Alone, dirty and in pain. I had finally fused back together and could sit up, so when Roberto brought me the last human I was able to feed normal. "He's evil Roberto. Pure evil." I coughed-whispered using my vocal cords for the first time since I healed.

Roberto leaned forward and whispered so low that I could barely hear him. "Never let anyone here know everything you know." He turned and walked towards the door. "Maria will meet you in your room." He said as the door swung shut.

The walk down the corridors and hallways was eerily quiet. For a large facility with ten vampires in residence, there was virtually no noise. Alone in a crowd. By myself in spirit.

As I rounded the corner to the last hallway before I reached my quarters, I passed Ronald in the hallway. He was reading a book and looked up from the pages to look at me sadly. I had failed his and Carlos's lessons. I know they don't understand, or they didn't care, but this is all I have. I had to try and make this work. Saying nothing, I walked to my door.

Stephan had them all mindwiped.

Just to the outside was a bucket with cleaning supplies and a basket with bathing essentials and some clothing. I opened the door and smelled the dusty interior. I carried all my gifts that smelled of Jasmine into my quarters.

Were they gifts? Or was I just part of her job? We're all victims of this life, but are we really together? Or just trying to survive?

I wiped out the tub and fired up the stove, filling the pot with water. As a human, I would have never been able to lift the pot of water, but with my new body I lifted it as if it were nothing. Even in my weakened state, it never even registered I stood and watched the flame lick the bottom of the pot.

I tried to imagine what it would feel like to feel the flames licking up my body, because so help me if I can't kill Stephan – I will walk into those flames willingly rather than be subjected to his touch again.

A cold hard hatred filled my bones at the mere thought of him. I almost felt as if I had veins again. Ice running through them.

While my bath water warmed I started cleaning my room. I had no possessions, not that they would do me any good, but it would be nice to have something of mine. Each of the items in my room I cleaned with great care. I dusted off the books, folded the clothing, dusted and shined the boots. The desk had deep grooves along the edges as if someone traced their finger over and over along the groove.

The cot smelled faintly like leather and tobacco. I breathed in the scent deeply. It felt comforting. I laid there and wrapped my arms around myself breathing in the stale male scent. I felt a longing that I didn't recognize.

My bath water was finally ready and I bathed slowly in the steaming hot water. I washed off the dried venom, blood, filth and dirt from my body and hair. The heat felt good. Not like when I was human, but an odd comfort none-the-less. After the water had cooled, I stood to dry myself off.

My once perfect body was now severely flawed. My stomach had fingernail scars. My arms, legs and neck had the healed tear marks from dismemberment. There were various bite marks from the punishment hall, some I remember, some I do not but they littered my body. I was grateful for the small mirror in my room. It seemed out of place in this masculine room. It was silver, tarnished, but definitely feminine.

A harsh knock came to the door, it actually sounded more like a slap on the wood than a knock, but Maria entered with Stephan and Carlos at each side.

Maria and Carlos I could tolerate. She was my sire, he was my trainer. They both helped me learned to survive. But Stephan, he was evil. Hatred surged through my veins and I barely controlled the growl that wanted to rip from my body.

"Isa. I trust that you have learned the lesson of listening to your superior officers?" Maria cocked her head to the side while asking. "You need to get yourself under control. You belong to me. You're mine. You get to do things when I say you can. Nothing happens in my compound without my permission. So, if you want to do something, it better be on my command or you'll take another trip to the punishment hall."

I kept the emotion out of my facial expression as best I could. I steeled my fists to my side, trying to summon as much calm as possible. "May I kill him?" I stared at Stephan. He had his arms crossed, smirk on his face.

"No." Was all she could cough out in a laugh. "He is my most faithful and well behaved soldier in this compound."

"He raped me, he raped Jasmine and he raped you!" I screeched. "He's mindwiped everyone here. He just can't get to my mind." He stood motionless, but the rage in his expression was evident. I would pay for that.

Maria charged me and bit into my neck, sending pain running down my arm and into my back; then stepping back and slapping me across the face.

"No such thing occurred. Nothing happens here without my permission. You are delusional." Maria's eyes were wide, angered. She took a deep breath, looking me over.

Out of her pocket she pulled out the amulet that Jasper had given me for a graduation gift. She let it swing and I felt the pull to the small trinket. One of the few items I had coming into this life and she held it up like teasing a dog with a treat. I wanted to whimper.

"You will have to earn this back Isa. I have several items from your human life, but you will need to earn them back. When you perform poorly, I will destroy an item. When you perform well, I reward you with them."

Out of her other pocket she pulled out another piece of jewelry. I recognized it. It was a gift from the wolf pack at graduation. It was a silver bracelet, a charm bracelet. It had ten charms on it, one to represent each of the important people in my life. Wolves, wheels, a sheriff badge and feathers were some of the dangling charms that shone as she shook it in my face. A brief flashback registered in my mind of Leah telling me stories and twirling the charm of the unicorn that was her representation.

Maria enclosed it in her hand and squeezed. I could hear the delicate metal crush and the charms collapse. She opened her hand and the bracelet was a ball of crushed metal. She handed it to me, a lump of silver and nickel. Ruined.

"I have a few more of your items. Earn them back." She smiled with her eyes squinted as she looked me over. "I said the same thing to the person who occupied this room before you. And it's odd that you have his trinket here." She looked at Jasper's amulet. "This was his room you know?"

My eyes went wide as I looked her over. "Jasper?"

"Yes, that deserter. He left here and found a mate." I felt the urge to growl.

"I never knew he was here."

She leaned back and laughed loudly, causing the sounds to bounce off the walls and echo down the hall. "You'll serve me well, just as he did." She tossed the amulet up in the air and caught it, slipping it back in her pocket. "They really didn't tell you anything did they?" She laughed low. They turned and walked out of my room.

I was dressed, the room was clean. I had no desire to read at the moment. I was sitting in Jasper's room. He was here. He is my comforting smell from the cot. He was in Maria's army. He told me to stay away from the south. He should have told me more. I wanted to hate him too, but I couldn't. Sitting here in what I now knew to be his room, I felt I had some kind of connection to him.

I could only go and lay in the bed, pulling in what I believed to be his fading scent and hope that I could get the amulet back.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah yeah, fail on the timing of my update here, I know. It is what it is. Hopefully that this is the longest chapter I have ever written made up for some of my tardiness. Leave me some love if you have any to give. You know the drill. - V<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter**** 11**

_Batallas de la muerte y la felicidad_

_Battles of death and happiness_

**BPOV**

* * *

><p>Everyone in the compound knew it was coming. There had been whispers all throughout. Their focus was no longer on training me. It was do or die time. No one would defend me, there was no one that could.<p>

Twenty. That is what I've heard through the walls. They have twenty vampires. And ten of them are newborns.

Ten verses twenty. Not good odds. But we have Helen and Garth. Although they are not effective on me, they have very special gifts that will be useful in battle. Ronald's gift would probably not be beneficial on the battle field. And Stephan's gift is only known to me, and in all of my scenarios, I can't think of a single use in battle. One, it takes too long, Two, he needs to make skin to skin contact. That could pose a difficult challenge when trying to mindwipe someone.

Two verses ten. Newborns. I am a newborn, created within my first year; three months ago. Jasmine is a newborn; she will be a year in two weeks. But she is still good. Fast. Jasmine is fast; faster than anyone here.

Not good odds. Maybe I should just run.

No, I belong here. This is where I am meant to be. They know me here. They want me here.

But I don't want to be here.

Maybe I'll just let them kill me and then it will all be over. I won't have to worry about where I belong then. Would anyone really miss me?

"You are thinking very hard there little one." Stephan said as he walked by. A shiver ran down my spine when he was near.

_Violator. Bad. Evil. Stay away_.

"Just getting myself battle ready sir." I looked down to the ground and stood tall, rising from my slouch against the wall. He was my superior officer whether I wanted him to be or not. Everyone here was my superior officer, everyone was superior to me. I was there's to do with as they pleased. No matter how revolting.

I wanted him dead more than anything.

"Very good then little one, carry on." And he walked down the hallway.

"Thank you sir," I said firm. Lingering in the hallways would only get me more comments. I should go to my quarters and rest. Strolling down the halls, there were many murmurs that continued, I tried pulling in bits and pieces of their conversations, but nothing was decipherable.

Maria stepped out of her chambers across the compound and commanded. "Battle prep in the commons. Ten minutes."

Ten minutes. Ten minutes. No time, too much time. I hate this life. This is no life. This is death by inches.

Walking down the hall, I started toward the commons. Ronald was walking in the hallway, with a sly grin on his face as he turned to see me walking and he held his arm out for me. I quickened my pace to catch up to him and he put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in for a huge sideways hug. "It'll be fine sweetness. We are all skilled fighters."

He was nice to me; even when I wasn't nice to him. I wrapped my arm around his waist part way and leaned into him as we walked toward the commons. "I'm just scared."

He leaned down and kissed the top of my head in an affectionate manner. It was good not to feel defensive right now. Although he never really caused me to feel like I was in danger when he was around.

We arrived in the courtyard and the only sound was of the arriving footsteps and then everyone standing still. I sneaked a glance around the room from my peripheral vision, everyone stood tall, eyes cast down, hands clasped behind them. Waiting. Waiting for Maria to arrive.

She arrived in a calm and controlled stride. Her boots clicking on the tile floor, echoing throughout the chamber. She took in a deep breath.

"It is time my soldiers. It is time to defend what is ours. This border, this route, this blood. Stand tall and proud, look me in the eye." She paused as each of us looked at her. She was battle ready. She was dressed all in black. Her hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Everything was tucked and tied, nothing to distract during our fight. "We are ready to defend what is ours. We are ready to defend each other." She turned to a roll down map and pulled it from the wall. On this map were ten circles with our names on them. I was in the second row, standing behind Ronald and Jasmine and in front of Stephan. Beside me was Roberto and Miguel. It was a three, four, three pattern. Three rows.

As she described plan A, my thoughts wandered to how each of them had trained me on different aspects of battle, but that I had never actually killed anyone. Could I do it? Could I really kill another vampire? I had killed humans, drank their blood, felt their life force leave their body as it fueled my strength, healed my wounds, fused my limbs back on, and gave me energy. But killing another vampire? That was a whole other thing.

What if I came upon the Cullens in battle? Could that ever happen?

My mind had wandered as they went over battle plans. I needed to focus.

Plan A: They rush us from the front. Ronald and Jasmine pull bodies apart and toss the parts to us as we build a fire and burn. Garth backs them up. Only row one engages; row two are backup. Roberto and I, keep Ronald safe. Miguel and Helen, keep Jasmine safe. Back row keep an eye out for Garth. Carlos and Stephan flank Maria's sides. This plan is solid, I feel good about this one

Plan B: They circle us, seeing that we are outnumbered to attack from everywhere. Helen starts to talk to the leader, convincing him to stand back. As we call out, we pick them off one by one. Jasmine leads, but the person closest to a target makes the move to pull a combatant into our formation. Shaky. I don't like this plan. Too many factors, too close to the fire. I really don't like this plan.

Plan C: We send in the newborns and watch to see if we survive. Jasmine and I take flank at the front and remove limbs, our strength matching theirs, but hoping that our skills will out match them. Toss parts or partials back, they will take care of them. Three are my backup, three are Jasmine's backup. This is solid as well.

Training, this is why we train. I have been training since I awoke to this life. Maria continued to go over the plans with Stephan at her side. They explained how we needed to work as teams, never leaving a man on their own; never striking on our own. Keeping us as a unit, never go in without a backup at the ready.

Carlos gave all of us reminders of the parts of training for overcoming these types of attacks quickly, but the training he had provided would keep us safe. I was thankful that they had spent so much time with me. Training me, preparing me; helping me stay alive.

Carlos and Stephan fell back into formation and Maria pulled the string, snapping the map back in place with a loud; WHOP! If I were human, I would have jumped.

"We are Reina del Sur Company. We are strong. We can do this." She snapped her fingers and Roberto left the room quickly and returned with our meals in tow. As he led each human to its end we all stood with our heads down, letting the feeling of hunger calm so that we received as much blood as possible from our victims.

I have had a lot of training on proper feeding the past few weeks. Feeding slower gets more blood, and it quiets the hunger in our soul. It is best to entrance them with our gaze before feeding; it quiets the screams and makes them more 'pliable' to our needs.

"We feed together today and we fight together tonight." She snapped her fingers again and I heard the humans whimper one by one as each vampire sunk their teeth into their necks and pulled the life from them. I looked at my human, at one time this man had hopes and dreams, now he is only nourishment. He looked at me with tears in his eyes, staring at me. I pulled him to me and kissed his cheek softly before going to his neck and sinking my teeth into his jugular, pulling the life from his body. Slowly, savoring the rich taste. Hearty and thick, his blood ran throughout my body, giving me strength and resolve. As we each finished, we took the bodies and tossed them into Roberto's cart, resuming our positions.

One company, heads held high, awaiting our command.

"To the field soldiers. It's time to conquer Reynosa." Single file, we walked out of the room and walked to the edge of our lands. One by one, we each took off at a full run, arriving six miles south, standing in a deserted Mexico field, the sun had nearly set as we took our positions. Each of my fellow soldiers readied themselves in their battle stance. I had not developed one that made me feel powerful, but the one that made me feel the most ready was the "at ease" mode. So I stood, legs apart, hands held behind my waist, head held high, ready.

_Stillness. Ready. Prepared. Strong._

No air moved, no one breathed. We stood, we waited.

Twenty minutes after dusk we could hear them from two miles away. They were running; fast, not in formation. They were a wild bunch, hopefully untrained. As they came into our view from a mile away, the vampires in this group were no soldiers. They were barely dressed and venom flowed from their mouths. Starved and wild, they ran at us full force.

Plan C. Jasmine and I stepped forward into the frontal attack formation as they arrived in the field. As the first newborn approached me, I crouched. It lunged at my chest and I slid to the ground, grabbing its feet. The newborn tried to jump over me, but my grip was good. Jumping to a standing position, I then grabbed its leg and swung. The leg separated and its body flew behind our formation. Carlos had to run in its direction before it could attempt escape. Too hard. Judging the weight a little more accurately this time, I tossed the leg behind me, hitting Stephan.

The second one that charged me was screeching and snarling, but before I could attack him, the one behind him threw him out of the way and crouched with his arms spread. Pouncing and trying to ensnare me in his grasp, I stepped to the left and removed his arm, tossing it behind me as he rounded and tried to take a bite out of my shoulder. I ducked and rolled, pulling on his other arm, dislocating but not removing. He stood in disbelief, staring at his useless arm and then looking over at where his other should be. He was all brawn, no tactics, no training. I ran toward him and as I neared, I slid on the ground going between his legs and grabbed his right ankle, standing, pulling and tossing his leg to the side as I tossed his body to the back. I could hear him roaring all the way to Carlos's fire.

Standing back were still five rabid newborns, snarling and snapping, but holding back, single file. I turned to look and our company had suffered zero injuries aside from a bite that looked like Carlos may have incurred on his arm. Jasmine had taken out three newborns. I hadn't even seen it. But the smoke that rose from the fire was a choking horrible smell. I started to move back to my spot but looked to Maria for confirmation. Maria nodded as we all fell back to our primary formation. We stood battle ready waiting for the next attack. The newborns fell back slightly.

We could see them approach in the horizon. . Double file, side by side. One leader dressed in a suit, the rest in throwback uniforms from the Mexican armies of olde. Dark green clothing, red berets. Calm, cool, collected.

Shit.

When they were within a half mile, the newborns started to spread out trying to cover more area. Snapping and snarling, they were volatile and none looked to be more than a few weeks or so old. As they spread out, the one nearest to my side charged and crashed into Roberto. He crouched and threw him back. As he flew through the air I jumped and grabbed a part; a foot, I held a foot in my hand. Realizing that the other newborns had not attacked, I turned and threw it back behind us to the fire that was burning behind Carlos and Maria.

Feeling uneasy, I turned and pulled myself back into battle ready mode waiting for the next wave. The commander stepped forward and in Spanish addressed Maria.

"Bow down and serve me now, none of you will die. Resist and watch your parts burn." He had an odd mannerism about him. He cocked his head to an angle when he spoke. His hair was dark and shiny. His suit looked like something a businessman would wear to work, not something that an army commander would wear. I think he was attempting to look like a president or something.

Maria raised her chin and smiled. "I could offer you the same, but I choose not to. Leave and don't come back. This is my territory, this is my blood. You may not be here." She looked over to Helen, nodding and she started to whisper.

"It's time for you to leave, turn around and go home." He blinked, looking confused.

He began to talk and then stopped. Looking around him and started nodding, "Yes, maybe we should go home. We have plenty of blood."

Helen cooed at him again. "Yes, turn around and go home." And he turned as Helen continued to whisper. Plan A modified Plan B. Jasmine rushed forward and threw a newborn into our ranks grabbing another as she darted back to position, tossing parts and bodies as we bounced them around pulling off limbs and then tossing it back into the fire. Two more down. Only two more newborns left. A total of twelve vampires to go.

Excellent, don't get cocky. Systematically take them out one by one. Do not rush. Do not get impatient. Remember your training.

One of the smallest females that stood next to their commander grabbed his arm. "You are being manipulated. Snap out of it." She smacked his face with the palm of her hand causing the resonating crack to echo on the field. She was a little thing. She wore her uniform like the other soldiers, but hers was slightly different than the rest. She held more badges on her chest than the others.

Taking a quick inventory, they all held some kind of badges, but very few of them were repeated on the uniforms. They made no sense.

The army was distracted by Helen's gift and their leader's confusion, Jasmine ran out and grabbed another newborn, tossed it back into the group as we continued our process of elimination, tossing and dismembering.

The last newborn, realizing that he was alone and standing in front took off. He ran back in the direction where they came. The commander still looked somewhat confused but now coherent enough to know something was amiss turned to look at the retreating vampire and scowled. Helen continued her cooing, but having less of an effect. He would look confused and then a realization would come over him. It gave us pause, we hesitated on the attack.

Reynosa gave Maria a wry smile. "I see that you have talented persons within your ranks." He looked over to Helen and addressed her. " I will offer you the same sanctuary, serve me now and you will not die. Fight against me and watch your parts burn."

Helen started to talk to the small female but before she could get more than a few words out she let out a sound, it sounded like a high pitched dog whistle, but more inconsistent in the sound waves. I stood and held my battle position when I saw Ronald, Jasmine and Garth fall to their knees, holding their heads. Turning and looking I saw that Roberto, Miguel and Helen were doing the same. I didn't even have time to turn and look before the faction started to circle our company. One by one everyone in Maria's army went down, the only one standing, me. I turned to see my whole company taken down by one lone vampire.

The small female taking down my company was doing something, that I was sure of, but I didn't know what. It didn't matter. Seeing how they kept her behind two other vampires, there was no possibility that I could get to her before they would have me burning behind their ranks. There wasn't enough time to train me like that.

I knew I had to try and use my mind block. I had done this successfully once, I could repeat it. I turned and focused all my energy on Maria; she was my sire, my commander. Save her first. The Reynosa soldiers were circling cautiously and my company was writhing on the ground as I focused on Maria. I envisioned keeping her safe and pulling her under my umbrella. She stopped writhing. Quickly she took a deep breath and stood. She looked at me with a possessive smile and rushed my side as I focused on Carlos who had been beside her, he stopped. I pushed my focus out, envisioning the dome over us. Slowly I pulled my shield over more of our company in front of Carlos, enveloping Ronald, Helen and then Garth. They all rose with growls and circled around me. I pushed my mind forward, focusing on Jasmine. She stood and winked at me. She was farthest away and it was difficult to keep my focus on so many. I could feel Stephan behind me. I could not protect him. I didn't. The small female was increasing her sound wave assault and one of the vampires jumped behind me reaching for our evil target. I didn't care.

I turned as I heard the unexpected crash of bodies collide. Maria had charged the vampire who had grabbed Stephan, stepping out of my mental bubble; causing me to lose some focus and causing all of us to sway as I wrestled with my mind and keeping everyone protected.

For a mere flash of a second I battled in my mind to save her again. If they killed her would we make it? Would the team kill me for letting her die? Did she still have my amulet in her pocket?

I reached toward her arm, but she was out of reach. I screamed for her and Jasmine rushed her, pulling her back under my shield as I heard the sound of ripping vampire flesh, the vampires started ripping Stephan apart. It was sweet music to my ears.

He was not worth the effort. Realizing that it was easier to pull the writhing vampires in a smaller circle made covering them easier. I reached out and pulled Roberto and Miguel back from the circle, enveloping them in my shield.

I watched as they tossed Stephan's parts behind their formation and started the fire. I strengthened and reinforced my shield as my anger seeped into my passion. I would have liked to kill Stephan myself, but this would have to suffice. I knew that he had violated everyone here, they just didn't know it. The smoke rose into the air with a dark purple pinnacle and I tried not to smile. That's just unprofessional.

As the Reynosa army realized that their small vampire's talent was being blocked, they pulled back quickly. The leader's eyes locked on me. I stood tall and held my chin in the air, a growl escaping my lips. Maria stepped forward and put her hand on my shoulder.

"As you see Reynosa, this here is my Senator Isa. She is special too." She smiled as she took my hand and grabbed Garth's hand, stepping forward as she held them up. "You see, we will not back down and you will die. Run now before we kill you all." She dropped our hands and Garth stepped further forward and focused on the little female. He was trying very hard to get past me; I could feel his ability hitting the inside of my shield, causing it to ripple. I started to pull the shield back form Garth so that could unleash his gift but I looked at the little female and realized that she was no longer trying to paralyze my company with her sound emissions; so I tried to pull back my shield from only Garth, but it snapped back from the rest of the group.

I fell to my knees holding my head as my shield ricocheted in my mind. Garth hit her with the full force of his gift. He had been focusing so hard that when my shield dropped she fell, unconscious immediately. Ronald and Jasmine were at my sides immediately helping me to stand up. The little female vampire was staring blankly into the dirt, venom dripping from her mouth.

Helen started talking to them in her soft coo. "Kill your leader, kill him. Burn him." Repeatedly saying the same things over and over again. His eyes went wide and he looked down at the small female that lay motionless, drooling on the ground as Garth focused in on another vampire.

It was obvious that they didn't know how to fight without her gift. One of his soldiers closer to him, turned and growled, crouching low. Helen began her coo louder almost at a chant now.

Reynosa grabbed the small female and threw her over his shoulder, spitting on the ground. "This is not over Maria. I will be back to kill you." And then he turned and ran taking the small female with him.

He never glanced back for his army, he never even gave them a second thought. His army watched him run away, not giving up on the fight that their leader ran from. They turned to look as now two were down from Garth's focus. The soldiers that were under Helen's spell turned and watched their leader run; they growled as he retreated but held their positions. They turned and readied themselves for an attack.

In sync, they lunged and started to fight.

Nine against nine, and two of them were unconscious, two mentally altered by Helen. Jasmine went crazy, running around faster than I had ever seen. She was moving so fast you could not even keep up with her blur. Pulling limbs from anyone that crossed her path. I ran forward tossing the unconscious ones back to Carlos. Roberto stepped forward and started catching limbs that Jasmine was throwing, while Miguel and Ronald were fighting and defending Garth as he focused on a new target. As we eliminated their numbers, one by one the excitement grew. There were three left, they tried to run. They scattered and we captured them, even Maria tracked one of the army down and removed his arms.

She threw his arms on the ground and stared him down until he was laying on the ground babbling nonsense and crying. "Do you wish to live?" she said to him. He shook his head and she screamed. "Answer me! Do you wish to live?"

"Y…y… ye… yes." He answered. She grabbed his shirt and stood him up.

"What is your name?"

"Ch…ch…Cholo." She leaned back laughing. He was so scared he was visibly shaking.

He feared death. An odd quote popped into my head and I whispered it low. "Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over."

A verse once meant to comfort suddenly felt sinister. Maria gave me a wink.

"Ok then Cholo, leave here. Spread the word that we will kill anyone who tries to come back to my territory, this is the Reina del Sur Company's lane, not Reynosa. Tell every vampire that you meet. Leave and never come back."

He looked to the ground at his arms and then looked back to her; she picked one up and tucked it into his shirt, the other she tossed behind her to Roberto. He turned and tossed it into the fire.

"If you see Reynosa again, tell him he's a dead man."

Cholo ran, venom dripping from his arm sockets, but he ran the opposite direction of Reynosa's retreat.

Maria turned and looked at our Reina del Sur Company, serious. "We lost one of our men today." She turned to me. "One that some did not like; but one that was loyal and obedient. We shall celebrate our victory but mourn our loss of Stephan. Let's go home soldiers."

The nine of us fell into our entrance formation, less one. Stephan would have been standing behind Maria. She pulled me up to his spot, leaving my position in the back vacant.

"Hip hip hooray!" Cheered Jasmine. Maria looked over to her and smiled. "Hip hip hooray!" she said again, louder this time.

We ran back to the compound to find it undisturbed. There is always a risk that the compound could have been raided but it was good. We filed into the common area where Ronald turned on the stereo and Carlos pulled out a barrel. Maria strolled into the area with large metal mugs handing them out to each of us.

Carlos turned a spigot on the side of the barrel and a clear liquid came out. Maria gathered some in her mug and took a large drink. Her eye twitched and she swallowed hard, letting out a large sigh as she did so.

Maria addressed all of us with a full mug and a smile on her face. "It's like coming back from the dead to feel the sweet taste of victory. Cheers."

The music got louder and everyone started dancing. It was an odd moment of community. Maria was less of a leader and more of a participant, dancing and laughing. Even if it was unintentional, Ronald used his gift. He danced slowly and sensually while Maria and Jasmine pressed up against him. Roberto would make rounds and fill up our mugs each time he wanted his filled. He was so use to providing us blood that being the bartender in our victory party only seemed logical.

We were all drunk and all having a good time.

Maria even made it a point to stop by and congratulate me on learning how to properly use what she called my shield. The title of senator is a promotion per my colleagues and I should use it with pride.

We laughed, sang, danced, touched, drank and celebrated until the morning turned to afternoon.

As the party wound down and we each retired to our quarters to recover from the alcohol, Maria called out, "To the victor goes the spoils."

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you so much for your favs and reviews – they warm my heart and inspire me.**

**I had a legitimate excuse for not updating quickly this time. My husband was in the hospital and even though he's ok now, it turned life upside down for quite a bit. I have next chapter and part of the following all fleshed out, as soon as I get back into the swing of things I'll post faster. Doing what I can – love you - Vic**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 12**

_Mi protector, mi soldado, mi amigo_

_My protector, my soldier, my friend_

**Maria POV**

**The quote "To the victor goes the spoils" is from William L. Marcy (sorry I forgot to give him credit last chapter…)**

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><p>I stumbled back to my quarters from dancing and drinking calling out, "To the victor goes the spoils." Today reminded me of days of long ago.<p>

Days when I ruled the south. Days when everyone feared me. Days when…

I slid my hand down into my pocket; Jasper's Sabine Pass Medal. Strange how a slip of a girl can walk in here wearing a vampire's mark, the Major's medal and an unknown ability, can cause my outlook to change.

I was getting complacent. I was living the high life in the gutter.

I wanted Isa to know that she had been promoted with her little mind shielding mastery. She was my third in command now. I needed Garth by my side. I could trust him. He had so many opportunities to kill me or let me die and yet here I am. My gratitude can only be paid by his position in our army.

I had not had a real battle in so long. Ten against twenty. That was laughable. It used to be hundreds against hundreds. People like Reynosa never even made a blip on the radar. I could annihilate anyone who stood in my way. They all died. They all burned. We drained whole towns in victory celebrations. With her devotion we could be back. I just needed some luck to turn.

"Isa." I called out.

"Maria?" She questioned. She was in her quarters; good.

I ran toward her quarters as she was walking out of her door. She took the position with her eyes cast down and her hands beside her back. She's learning and training, such a good soldier. I reached out and lifted up her chin so she could look me in the eyes.

"You did well out there yesterday. I believe you earned this back." I reached into my pocket pulling out the medal and handed it to her.

She looked very relieved and happy, slipping it on her neck immediately. Odd how it seemed to fit her so well.

"I'm going into town for fresh blood. Care to join me?" I asked, without as much authority as possible. I really wanted to take the time to know this woman who saved me first.

Damn, I really am getting soft.

"I would love to. May I change my clothes?" She looked back at her door quickly. Her reflexes were still on edge as a newborn, but Isa was more controlled than most, which pleased me greatly. I nodded and she turned to her room. She opened the door and held it open for me to enter, which I did. I was a little surprised; I usually didn't enter anyone's quarters.

As I stepped in, I was stunned at the change from the time I had been here a couple of months ago. She had hand painted the interior of her quarters. She had made this her sanctuary, her home. The walls were rust colored with browns, blacks, dark blues in various patterns and shapes. Her cot had a denim throw on it. The headboard had been reupholstered in leather as had the chair. There were vases in the room holding large drying leaves of tobacco. It was her.

She quickly walked over to her closet and changed into a pair of black boots, jeans and a simple black t-shirt. She folded her clothing quickly and put them on a shelf in the back of her room.

She stood before me, ready to follow. "I am ready Maria." She stated simply.

I chuckled slightly. "Let's find some blood."

I lead the way toward a Mexican tourist trap. It was after ten thirty at night on a Thursday; a good night for feeding. A little bar by a hotel along the main strip was always a promising place to find a meal. I looked over to Isa as we entered and she looked at me with a smirk on her face.

All eyes turned to us as we walked inside. Our beauty pulled them in. To a human, we were flawless. Both of us forever young on the outside, never aging. How much easier could this be? Men were men.

"I'd like to find some entertainment as well Isa. Have you tried that yet?" Her face turned serious. She looked over to me a little shocked.

"No. I don't think I can do that." Her voice shook slightly in her reply.

I had to chuckle at her odd innocence. "If you can drain them without breaking them, you can fuck them too."

She let out a snort as I commented. She nodded towards the side of the bar at a man that stood off by himself. I could see why she picked him out. He was a little older than I normally picked out, but he would be good sport. Tall, lean, muscled. Rumpled blonde hair, shorts, flip flops, a scruffy beard and a smile that went from ear to ear. He was watching her like he hadn't seen a woman in a long, long time.

A song came over the speakers that, although I found it to be less entertaining, Isa seemed to be rather pleased as she sauntered her way out onto the floor. The man's eyes never left her as she fell in line with the other humans and started dancing. She glanced up at her intended and he tilted up his drink finishing the amber liquid and walked out to the dance floor, right beside her. As the song changed, she turned to leave and he grabbed her arm pulling her close, whispering in her ear. She let out a laugh and nestled up against him and they started to sway to the slower music.

I was distracted from her cat and mouse game by a man that approached me with a cold drink in his hand. "Hello Senorita, care for a drink?" This was much more my style. Broad shoulders, light brown hair to his shoulders, khakis slung low on his hips. His eyes were a bright green and his smile felt like sunshine as his body heat and scent washed over me like a new tide. Oranges.

In my heaviest accented English I said a "thank you", taking the offered drink and smiled back seductively. I motioned for us to walk out to the patio area where it was darker and the music was less loud. He nodded and I caught a passing glance at Isa as she danced with her human, she was watching me as we walked to the patio.

He was very intoxicated for this hour of the evening. Stupid men, stupid tourists. Some girl broke his heart, so he came down here to Mexico to wash his sorrows away. Blah blah blah.

It was sex, he was blood. He talked a lot, he thought I barely knew English and asked me back to his room. We walked next door to the hotel and entered his room as he walked into the bathroom and popped some kind of pill, offering me one, but I refused. He seemed rather disappointed and walked over to the bed and started to kiss me sloppily.

I was not impressed by his sexual prowess but he would do for tonight.

I stepped back and removed my clothing in a teasing slow display. As I removed a piece of clothing, I would help him remove something. When I finished he was rubbing his hard cock and I was wet from my own mind-fuck. He smelled delicious.

I lay back on the bed and watched as he dove his face into my pussy. His lips were like fire on my ice. He moaned causing vibrations to reverberate around my lips and ass.

Counting out the moments for his breathing to come into sync with his moans making my clit even more sensitive, he licked and lapped at it as I squirmed waiting for him to hit just the right spot. He slid his finger first in my pussy and pumped and then slid it in my ass.

Fuck that felt good.

Most humans don't get that far. Keeping my control in check I let his hot hands and mouth bring me to orgasm. I locked my legs in place so as to not kill him with my knees.

Very nice, my opinion on his sexual prowess just went up a notch.

As I came down from my orgasm he lifted up and speared his cock right into my pussy. No preamble, no prep, just straight into fucking. I let the second wash over me as his hot cock hammered into me for all he had. I let out a moan and called out to the heavens as my pussy clenched onto him.

He pulled me up and kissed me in his sloppy manner. I didn't like how he kissed, so I turned my head down and started to kiss his neck. His jugular was stressed as his heart beat rapidly, moving blood through his system quickly.

He pinched my nipple and I let out a moan on his neck and he started hammering me harder, his body slapping against mine. He started stuttering and cursing. He gripped me hard as I felt his body tense and then begin his orgasm.

He leaned back and I pulled him down. He was moaning in pleasure and his taste was divine as I drained him.

_Nectarous. Savory. Delectable_.

His breathing went from full out panting to a resting rate in a matter of a few seconds as he pulled me closer. I pulled on his blood as he sighed his last breath, his muscles shuddering and I pulled deeply and his heart began to stutter.

I finished him off with one last pull of his blood. I moved his lifeless form away from me as I scanned his room for anything of value. I found his wallet, emptying it of contents and found little else of value.

I stepped into the modern shower and washed off the human's scent and fluids. I savored the hot water and spray with the little bottle of shampoo. Should we ever decide to upgrade the compound, it would be to upgrade our entire plumbing system. Hot water and showers were a divine extravagance that was not available when I was at the top.

I went on a search for Isa once all was cleaned up. I took his key for the room and found Isa in a room that wasn't far from me. I talked to the door as I approached so that she would not be alarmed.

She opened the door with her head cast down. "I killed him before anything good could happen. He was too fragile. Then I just drained him."

I peeked around to look at her human and he was shirtless, he had her juices on his face but that was as far as it got. Isa would need lessons on fucking a human. Having an orgasm with a human was a lesson in restraint, well if you wanted to finish that is. I'm positive Helen would love to demonstrate for her.

We chatted for a moment as we searched his belongings and she told me that she cracked his skull when she orgasmed while he licked her pussy. She did have a wry smile at that memory. She took a quick shower when I suggested it and I watched the parking lot for signs of life outside the window. We cleaned up traces of us and wrapped the bodies up in the sheets from the room, then jumped out the windows running to the north.

We left the bodies on the outskirts of town. Bella's human served her well; she had a smile on her face that suited her. We both had a small bonding moment, it was good. I wanted to go for a run.

"Let's run tonight. A few hours. No place in particular. Follow me." I said to her as we took off north.

In this part of the world you could be in Mexico, Texas or New Mexico in a matter of minutes if you were in the right spot. I headed north to New Mexico, it had been awhile since I had been there.

The desert is different there. More plants, more animals. We ran quickly as the snakes, scorpions and various other nocturnal creatures hunted in the night. She was fast, but held back. We ran for two hours without saying a single word. It felt good to let loose and run. Running for nothing when you weren't running from someone or something was good.

As we approached the outskirts of Santa Fe we crossed two vampire scents. A long ago familiarity. I turned to follow them, slowing my pace.

Isa watched me as I slowed and tracked the scents. She had not worked on tracking much with Roberto; this kind of skill is essential to have when chasing runaway soldiers.

I saw them in the alley. The years had been good to them. They looked exactly the same, not that I expected much less, but they held no new scars visible to me.

He stood tall and athletic with light brown hair. Oddly ironic that he looked so similar to the human I had just fed on. Their clothing looked old and tattered, obviously still nomads roaming the world.

She was still blonde, straight hair although it looked like it could use a good washing. Her clothes were expensive and old fashioned but her shoes were new. Shiny new black conservative heels.

They had shared a meal and were in the process discarding the body when they caught my scent. He growled, pulling her behind him, protecting her. It had been some time since I had been near a mated couple. Their bond is so disgustingly endearing I wanted to gag.

I had momentarily forgotten about Isa as she jumped in front of me in a crouch. I laid my hand on her shoulder and explained our approach. "Isa, I know this couple. It's ok." She stood to full height and stepped to my side as I approached them with caution.  
>"Hello Peter, Charlotte. It's been awhile hasn't it?" I stood and watched as they assessed Isa and me to see if we were there to attack them. I turned to look at Isa as she watched them carefully.<p>

"Isa, this is Peter and Charlotte. They use to be members of my army a long time ago. They are a mated couple. They escaped a long time ago, before we changed the rules about mates."

Peter said nothing, just watched me carefully. I turned back to Isa, haven given all of the information. "Now, when a couple mates, they are free to leave."

Charlotte stepped from behind Peter at that time, looking at me with a little shock and surprise. "Really?" She whisper-gasped.

I nodded, trying to let them know I wasn't going to attack or capture. I turned to Isa explaining, but making sure that Peter and Charlotte heard every word, "It wasn't like that when they served me, but times have changed."

"Changing rules isn't like you Maria." Peter said in his thick southern accent with a smirk on his face.

"Sometimes change makes us stronger." I quipped back.

"Or lets you survive." He said with a knowing smile on his face. He knew what had happened. Of course, he knew about the army being almost wiped out because of mated vampires.

"Same ol' Peter. Smart-ass." I retorted.

"Yes, we are well aware of whatever serves you best at that moment, is how you will run things. And when they no longer serve their intended purpose, they are disposed of." He nodded as he spoke, his words laced with a sarcasm that couldn't be missed.

I stepped closer to the couple to get a good look at them and Isa stayed by my side. We walked within five feet of them, walking under the streetlight. Charlotte gasped while looking at Isa. Isa looked at me with her eyebrow raised.

"Peter and Charlotte, meet one of my new officers. This is Senator Isa." Charlotte held out her hand and Isa reluctantly shook it and then Peters. They both watched her carefully.

"She's not very old to be an officer, is she Maria?" Peter questioned, never taking his eyes off her face and looking her over carefully, especially her scars.

"Old enough Peter." I wasn't supplying him with any more information, his interest had me concerned. "I just wanted to see you and your mate." He nodded in acknowledgement. "We may have some battles coming up soon," Isa's head snapped to me as I spoke, "if you are looking for some action, we would consider letting you back in. We have a steady stream of blood and good training grounds."

He laughed a little. "I'm pretty sure we're not interested, but I'll think about it anyway."

"It's hard to beat the feeling of victory." I smiled. "We're in the old El Paso compound if you are interested." I turned to Isa addressing her. "We should be heading back, we have a few hours of nighttime left and if we want to make it back before dawn, we need to go quickly."

She nodded and then looked at Peter and Charlotte. "It was nice to meet you." She stepped back and waited for me.

Peter nodded to Isa and Charlotte replied in a similar greeting. They both looked at me and said their "Goodbye" quickly and took off in the opposite direction we were heading.

I turned and ran as quickly as I could back in the direction we came. We ran for thirty minutes before Isa spoke. "Did we run there to meet them? Or was that coincidence?"

"That was Peter. There are no coincidences with Peter. He meant for us to meet them. I'm hoping he and his mate will return to fight with us."

"Why are there no coincidences with Peter?" She queried.

"He has what you'd call a sixth sense about him. Everything happens for a reason." I thought back about how Peter always managed to get out of tight situations. And their escape was planned so perfectly, at the exact perfect moment where all the other trainers and officers were occupied and could not stop their escape. They had been gone for hours before anyone knew. But I would let them back in. We could use them. "They both were good fighters years ago. He was a trainer of newborns and a good one. He must have made sure we crossed paths so that I would extend the opportunity to return."

I pondered the possibility of having one of my former trainers return during my run. Isa didn't ask any more questions. There were options before me that I hadn't considered before.

We approached the compound and I waved Isa to follow me to my chambers. When I entered the door she came in but kept her eyes down and stood in position. I walked over to a chest where I held items of value for my soldiers. I grabbed one of the items she had while she was human, it was a backpack with books and papers. I had two in here for her; she could have this one. I think it may have been her roommate's backpack. Her first meal. A reminder and a reward.

"You did very well tonight. This isn't much, but it's one of the few items that were brought here when you were."

She looked at the pink backpack and grabbed it with a little disbelief. This would be good, reminders for good behavior, even if the prize is worthless. She then took off towards her chambers I would assume.

I turned to look at my map of territories. It was so broken now. Small covens, usually no more than twenty or thirty. Supplying blood and keeping out of sight was difficult now.

Humans were a problem, but more of a problemwere the Volturi. Those evil twins, the twins that I could now block with my new senator.

Overthrow the Volturi.

With Peter and Charlotte here to train the more specialized tactics needed when fighting with larger groups, I could have an army like before. But it would be stronger and better this time around.

Miguel could scour an entire Mexican and American radius of five hundred miles. We could build an entire faction of army recruits with abilities. And we could send Carlos and Ronald out to find fighters with real skills. Real fighting skills, real intelligence, more specialization.

Two specialized groups of soldiers. The Volturi would no longer be a threat.

We could wipe out these smaller covens within a few months.

The south could be mine again.

My land, my territory, my blood.

All mine.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks to those of you who said a prayer for my husband. He is doing well now and is on the road to recovery. Thank you!<strong>

**Thank you for reading. Hit the button and give me a little - V**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 13**

_Usted simplemente no puede matar a la bestia_

_You just can't kill the beast_

**JPOV**

* * *

><p>As the news broke about Bella, I watched every news station that covered her story. I wanted to leave, I wanted to go and find her. But at every attempt, either Alice or Edward were there to stop me from leaving.<p>

_You'll only make the situation worse._

_The wolves will blame you._

_You'll be discovered in the Texas sun._

Edward had made several calls to former friends in Forks and had come to the conclusion that Bella and her friend had driven off a cliff while drunk and died in a fiery crash. They had found the burnt body of her friend and that the car had burned so hot that Bella's body had been incinerated. Two beautiful white women missing in Texas actually garners a lot of media and print coverage, but once they found Bella's car and some recognizable parts matching DNA to her friend, the investigation was over. There were two bottles of liquor found in the vicinity, and conclusions were drawn.

I had even managed to find a way to watch her memorial service. They had brought what they believed to be her ashes back to Forks. Some of her friends had flown in to speak at her service. She had been well loved and respected.

Alice was happy for the closure once Edward had the answers. She said she couldn't see anything and it was frustrating for her. Edward was sad, but not in mourning. I didn't believe either of them.

_Why did she go to Texas? I really wanted to find the answers myself._

Even Carlisle and Esme seemed to think my behavior irrational. As I spent more time in the basement I had noticed strange mood swings. At times I was so angry I was causing arguments a mile away, frustration was my other companion. Constant frustration. Moments of sorrow would overtake my soul, causing me to weep like a child.

I have no understanding of why my emotions are so suddenly overwhelming and out of control. I can only attribute it to the emotions within our household. Esme and Carlisle are grief stricken, their emotions going from extreme sadness to melancholy. Emmett was devastated by the news of Bella's death. He climbed a tree and watched the sun rise and set for a week before coming down. He said he needed to say goodbye to his little sister that he missed so much. Rosalie was saddened as well; she spoke to me very little anymore but said that she was saddened that Bella had once again found a way to make a bad decision and threw her life away. Alice became a blank canvas to me and Edward's emotions would be up and down when he was with Alice. She would have a vision, he would react. Usually sadness, anger and repulsion.

Rosalie and Emmett have decided to take an extended vacation in Europe, finding themselves some much needed alone time and space from our emotions. Edward barely registered that they were leaving. He sits and reads, plays his music and has silent conversations with Alice. She on the other hand, only talks to Edward. She said very little at Rosalie and Emmett's departure and has said that she feels so guilty for not seeing Bella's death, that she can not bear to look Esme and Carlisle in the eye as she did not watch out for their other daughter.

She doesn't feel the words she expresses, but I choose to say nothing. Edward knows this as well, he says nothing. He is always alert now, like he's watching for something important.

Carlisle and Esme are talking about leaving Chicago and going somewhere more remote and maybe somewhere they haven't been in a very long time, possibly Europe. I have expressed my displeasure at such a destination but any destination I have suggested has been shot down.

I have decided to get my affairs in order. The possessions I have proclaimed as something that I wish to never lose, I have sent off to a nearby storage facility and the others remain here with me in the basement. I have also drawn up documents upon my untimely death that everything I have in my bank accounts, plus my storage compartment would go to Peter and Charlotte, my long ago friends from Maria's army. Peter is more a brother than a friend, but his mate Charlotte is very wary of me. She knew me from the Southern Vampires Wars and from the time I spent with them before I met Alice. My time spent wandering was a very low time in my life and my time in Maria's army was usually very angry. Charlotte had reason to be wary of me.

Maria. How I would love to blame her for this fiasco.

Bella was declared officially dead ten days ago. I have not left our house since. I had only left the house once upon her disappearance and that was to gather newspapers, some electronic devices to track news and go for a quick hunt.

Bella has been gone for thirty days.

_**DING DONG**_

My thoughts go back over and over to me warning her about staying away from the south. Should I have told her more? Would she have really been that foolhardy? I feel it in my soul that she is not dead. A deep dark desolation creeps over my being. This is how I spend my time. Thinking, speculating, daydreaming…. I am interrupted once again.

_**DING DONG**_

I hear a delicious slushy sound from upstairs.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**DING DONG**_

The doorbell. Someone is ringing the door bell. I listen closely to the sounds in the house. My radio and the sound of the door bell ringer's heart is the only sound I hear.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair**_

_**Warm smell of colitas, rising up through the air**_

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light**_

_**My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim**_

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**I had to stop for the night**_

_**There she stood in the doorway;**_

I couldn't take the sound of her heartbeat anymore and I rushed to the doorway at the bottom of the stairway.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

It was woman in her early thirties. Dark brown hair, brown eyes. She was wearing a delivery company uniform.

_**I heard the mission bell**_

_**And I was thinking to myself, 'this could be heaven or this could be hell'**_

I opened the door. "May I help you?"

She smiled and her shoulders released some tension, looking down at her clipboard. "Yes I need a Cullen to sign for this package." She looked up at me. "Are you a Cullen?"

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**Then she lit up a candle and she showed me the way**_

I smiled as I looked at the jugular in her neck pumping blood under her skin. It had been a long time since I had fed and I could feel my bloodlust rise as she released her breath into my space. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not a Cullen."

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**There were voices down the corridor,**_

_**I thought I heard them say...**_

She tensed slightly. "Is this the Cullen residence?"

"Yes it is."

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**Welcome to the hotel California**_

_**Such a lovely place**_

"Excellent. If you will just sign here, I will deliver your package."

I grabbed the clipboard and as she hurriedly went back to her truck and pulled up the back door, I watched as the handle nipped her delicate flesh on her hand.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**Such a lovely face**_

The blood pooled on her fingers as she wrapped her hand around the finger. I stopped breathing.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**Plenty of room at the hotel California**_

_**Any time of year, you can find it here**_

_**Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes Bendz**_

I watched as she stuck the finger in her mouth and pulled the blood off.

She wiped her hands on her dark blue shirt.

She turned and pulled out the dolly.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends**_

_**How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat.**_

_**Some dance to remember, some dance to forget**_

She climbed back into the delivery truck.

Pulling out the box.

She put the box onto the dolly.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**So I called up the captain,**_

'_**please bring me my wine'**_

_**He said, 'we haven't had that spirit here since nineteen sixty nine'**_

And rolled the box to the house.

She pulled the dolly up the front stoop.

She smiled at me, standing here with the dolly balanced.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**And still those voices are calling from far away**_

_**Wake you up in the middle of the night**_

_**Just to hear them say...**_

"Do you want me to bring this in the house sir?" She looked at me worriedly, her bloody breath washing over my face.

I watched the jugular in her neck pump the blood under her skin again.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

My fingers twitched.

_**Welcome to the hotel California**_

_**Such a lovely place**_

"Sir?" She asked again. Her blood still on her breath. Still on her shirt.

"Oh yes, inside please." I could feel the predator in me circle, it's prey on my mind.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

I watched her features as I opened the door to let her inside, letting the sterile air from the house roll onto the porch.

_**They livin' it up at the hotel California**_

_**What a nice surprise, bring your alibis**_

_**Mirrors on the ceiling,**_

She pulled it past me; the taste of her blood in the air as she moved.

And pulled it into the living room and I could see the blood under her skin move quickly from the exertion of moving the package. Sweat formed on her brow.

She released the box from her dolly. She wiped the sweat from her face with the hand where she had injured her finger.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**The pink champagne on ice**_

_**And she said 'we are all just prisoners here, of our own device'**_

The box standing on it's proper end, the sweat and blood from her hand on the box.

I breathed in her scent while she stood in the middle of our living room. My mouth filled with venom as I took it in. The fresh blood she had managed to smear small traces of glowed like beacons to me.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**And in the master's chambers,**_

_**They gathered for the feast**_

She looked at me as I blocked the doorway. Fear.

I knew what was going to happen. I felt it as it washed over me.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**The stab it with their steely knives,**_

_**But they just can't kill the beast**_

It was fulfillment, it was nourishment.

I stared her in the eyes as I approached her.

_**Last thing I remember, I was**_

_**Running for the door**_

Her fear was gone. She was paralyzed by my gaze.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**I had to find the passage back**_

_**To the place I was before**_

She smiled at me with a big toothy grin. If her blood didn't smell so enticing, I would fuck her here and now.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

'_**relax,' said the night man,**_

_**We are programmed to receive.**_

I walked up to her and pulled her head back as she felt the bliss I was sending her.

_Ka-slush, ka-slush, ka-slush_

_**You can checkout any time you like,**_

_**But you can never leave!**_

And sunk my teeth into her flesh.

Her blood washed over my tongue in a dance of the sweetest seductress. I pulled slowly savoring the taste. She whimpered but I could only send out the euphoria I was feeling from feeding from her.

I took another long pull, letting her blood linger on my lips as her heart stuttered. Her blood, the music, the bliss. I ended her life in the middle of a guitar solo.

What a way to go. Poetry in motion. The euphoric feelings from human blood spreading into every cell in my body.

I stood in the middle of the living room holding her lifeless body as I realized what I had done.

_Guilt. Pain. Worthlessness. Failure._

I felt Alice before she ever arrived. She was running at a high rate of speed. But she was too late. I heard her hit the steps and take a deep breath in shock.

"JASPER!" She screamed at me.

I didn't even turn in her direction. I could feel her anger, her disappointment, her disgust. I realized at that moment that I didn't want her approval, I didn't care about her wanting me anymore. I didn't want her.

Footsteps followed as did a car off in the distance. They had driven off somewhere and I hadn't noticed. Why would I care? I didn't belong here anymore. They were leaving soon anyway and I would have been left behind.

Edward made some angered comment and I ignored him. I felt the strength in my limbs as I sent back all the anger they were sending me with a little added bonus, rage.

Edward charged me and I dodged his feeble attempt at an attack. I held the humans carcass as she dangled from my grip as I moved around the living room. She had brown eyes like Bella that were lifeless as her dark brown hair swung as I moved her. I imagined fucking her and letting Edward watch the scenario play in my mind. His virgin body never feeling the pleasures of the flesh and not understanding the real enjoyment that comes from the act. Edward raged again as he tried to charge me.

I threw the body at him as I sent him enough fear to crumble to his knees quaking in fear. I looked over to Alice as she ran to Edward mumbling something in another language as Carlisle began to charge me but stopped short as he neared me, looking around his home.

I may have made a mess a little bit.

"Get out." He said with conviction. His emotions were angered and disappointed. But his intolerance was more of a shining star than the other emotions he warred with.

I quirked an eyebrow at him as I turned to go to the basement and grabbed my bag; it was merely some cash, ID's, credit cards, a few changes of clothes, plus a good pair of boots.

I walked to the door walking past all of them without giving them a backwards glance; except Esme. Her heart was breaking. She was sad and disappointed, but she had already forgiven me. I didn't want forgiveness. I wanted acceptance. Why couldn't anyone here accept me for who I am?

It really didn't matter in the end. I kissed Esme's cheek and I rushed out the door. Let them figure out how to dispose of the body, her truck, everything. A murder in Chicago was just another day.

I wanted to feel guilty. I wanted to be mad. But I could feel neither. It was time to move on. My emo days were over.

I wasn't a Cullen or a Hale. I was a Whitlock. It was time I found the other ones.

**xxxXXXxxx**

I roamed the streets of Chicago trying to see if I could find traces of any vampires nearby. There were plenty of unpleasant humans to feast upon in the dark alleys and unkept apartments in the slums, but no other vampires.

I feasted on those humans that I didn't feel the emotions of fear or dread as I approached them. Male or female, they all welcomed the reprieve I could give them, even for a few moments of their miserable lives.

My reintroduction to human blood was a welcome marvel. I had forgotten the awareness that it brought to my senses. Some good, some bad; but the euphoric quality held in the hot liquid had my mind running circles around itself. Their emotions could be manipulated to where I could be pacified for the time it took to end their life and drain them. But the abstinence of human blood made me want more than I really needed. I was gluttony in motion.

Before I had realized how much time had passed or how many lives I had taken, the weather started to change. I needed to find my brother before I went on another blood exodus and lost more time. I had managed to lose well more than a month in the human blood indulgence. When I came back to reality I realized that I had somehow made my way to Minneapolis.

I made a phone call to a number that Peter had given me a long time ago. There was an answering service on the other end. I explained who I was looking for, who I was and they took the message. Very cloak and dagger, very Peter. I started to head south. They had to be somewhere warmer. Charlotte always hated the north because the southern heat and sun always made her happy. And what makes Charlotte happy made Peter happy.

I would head toward his happy.

**xxxXXXxxx**

I headed south into Nebraska and hung out in Lincoln for a week or so. The holidays would soon be approaching and the cities were swarmed with Christmas shoppers and thieves alike. I fed heartily. I really only needed to feed once a week or so, but found so much enjoyment in doing so, I fed twice as much. I still had not run across a vampire scent, not even an old one. I started to roam with more caution as I began to trespass in an area in which any of the armies battling for southern territory could arrive within a days run. I had no desire to fight anyone and finding anyone other than Peter and Charlotte was not on the top of my list, well other than if I could really find out what happened to Bella.

After Christmas I headed over to Colorado, it was prime skiing season and I was going to indulge myself. I booked a cabin with cash and hung out in the mountains. I fed on some of the wildlife there, but only enough to turn my eyes from red to an orange. It was enough that I could wear contacts and them to look right enough to roam the lodges packed with snow bunnies on winter break from college.

It was perfect. I sat by the fire at a lodge warming my body to an acceptable temperature for a human and waited for my next victim. I waited patiently for one of the women roaming the lodge to suit my fancy. A pale skinned sorority girl with dark red hair came and sat next to me. She had freckles on her nose and giggled in a manner that she thought was cute. It was difficult to have a conversation with someone that could not finish a sentence without giggling.

I did not find her attractive. I didn't even find her blood enticing after talking to her. She gave off happy emotions and was a genuine free spirit, someone I would have found to be what I was looking for a long time ago, but she held no appeal. Her entire being reminded me of Alice. A spirit that fed me false happiness, feed me drugs to keep me jonesing for more; but when you've gone through withdrawal and made it out on the other side, some of us just don't want that shit anymore.

My time alone was helping me remember who I am and who I was before they changed me into an emo pussy ass mother fucker who liked to have sex on a script. Who wanted to suck down a deer and smile about it because it would save a human from death. A vampire that wasn't a vampire at all, I was a hippie ass pansy that was a peaceful protester to the vampire way of life. How the hell had the Cullens brainwashed me into thinking that their way of life was an alternative? What the fuck was I thinking?

The redhead finally got the picture after I stopped talking to her in her happy language and I just out and out asked her if she wanted to fuck. She promptly stormed away from me. Well enough. I had decided to leave the lodge and go back up on the mountain when a dark haired female with a murderous rage came storming through the lodge, a man stomping menacingly behind her. They screamed at each other as she accused him of sleeping with a whore and she started throwing random items that were sitting around at him. He dodged most of them, but an ashtray that was sitting on one of the tables managed to catch him above the eye. He started to charge her when I stepped in front of him blocking his charge and I turned to her, sending her my desire. She was mad, murderously mad at this man and it made her more attractive to me that I would have thought possible.

The beast of a man on the other side of my body tried to swing at me, but I ducked as slowly as possible to avoid having his hand break on my body. He raged and lunged, but I stepped to the side. He hit his head again and opened up the small cut even more, bleeding profusely onto the floor.

The girl behind me stepped around me and started tending to the now unconscious and bleeding man. I wanted her more than any human I had come into contact with thus far. I had to step back as the man's blood filled the air and I could feel my bloodlust rise. There were too many humans present to lose it here.

I stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air when I smelled him. He was close by and had traveled by the lodge, but had run toward the cabin I was staying in.

Peter. I checked to make sure there was no one that would notice my vampire speed departure and took off in the direction of his scent. Soon enough I smelled Charlotte join him as they ran side by side toward my cabin. As I arrived, they stood inside with a roaring fire, both of them watching me out the window as I approached.

Peter opened the door and motioned for me to enter as I whisked into the door and he shut it promptly. The smile on his face was so wide that if he were a human his skin would have split. Charlotte wore a matching smile. Their emotions were more anticipatory than happy, but they were relieved.

I was frozen by the sudden presence of someone I knew and loved but had been distant. Peter without hesitation stepped forward and gave me a bone crushing hug and Charlotte snuggled beside him and did the same. I'm glad that I did not need to breathe as these two had whooshed all of the air out of my lungs.

"Hey there old man. I got your message. I had planned on meeting you in New Mexico but figured you'd yellow out and hide out here with the snow bunnies."

"I wasn't yellow on my stop. I was looking for some tail." I had to respond. Upon my callous comment Charlotte promptly stomped my foot causing me to jump into the air and yelp. She laughed at me while yelling at the same time.

"There will be no disrespectin' any women while I'm around,, including any meals you have or the woman you are lookin' for." She winked when she finished.

They had been looking for me.

We exchanged pleasantries for a few moments. I excused myself so I could take off the gawd awful ski wear I had adorned in my quest for some bunny. I walked out of the room wearing a pair of jeans and a wife beater. Both Charlotte and Peter were sitting on the couch waiting for me, anticipation rolling off of both of them.

I sat across from them and looked them over. They traveled light, the only thing they brought with them were the clothes on their back and whatever would fit into the big purse that Charlotte carried.

I miss days like that.

Peter started with information. "I didn't want to wait for you to get down to New Mexico. We need to get a plan in motion and the timing will be critical." He rubbed his hands together and had a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Six days ago I ran across a man. He was in bad shape. He had been in a battle with Maria's army. His name was Cholo." He paused and looked at me, shaking his head. Cholo had many different meanings, but we knew Cholo is slang for a street person, low life or scum, at least is was in Maria's army. "Cholo was missing both of his arms, one of them was tucked into his shirt and I helped him reattach it properly, but he said that his sire Reynosa had battled with Maria's army of ten" he paused and looked at me to make sure I caught that number. Ten?

How did she battle with so few? "Ten soldiers and they battled Reynosa's twenty. He tried to run away at the end, but Maria caught him herself." Maria very infrequently ever did any of the fighting herself; she has made some changes to her strategy. "Maria has some talented vampires. One named Senator Isa. According to Cholo she was able to block out one of their coven's talents."

That is too much of a coincidence and I didn't believe in a coincidence. My eyes locked with Peter and he smiled big.

"I just met up with them yesterday. Both Senator Isa and Maria."

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><p><strong>AN: So the fun begins huh? Yeah. Thank you to all of you leaving reviews, making me a favorite or putting me in your alerts. The notices humble me.<strong>

**And thank you to all of the prayers and well wishes for my husbands recovery. He is doing very well now.**

**You know the drill, Love to you - Vic**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 14**

_En busca de algo_

_In search of something_

**BPOV**

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><p><strong><span>OK - for all of the wonderful reviews from last chapter... evidently you can not wait a month to reply to reviews...the link expires. So sorry, my bad. I will do better. :) <span>**

* * *

><p>After our trip out of the compound, Maria's demeanor had changed. She was quiet and determined; scary even. She was concentrating and deep in thought. During our feeding and afterwards, she was almost sister-like. We were bonding on some level. But there was distance there again. I had hoped to earn her friendship in an odd sense. She was my sire, my superior officer, but I didn't really know her. I knew no one here; I had no one I could really trust.<p>

The hall of punishments had distanced me from Jasmine and Ronald. The battle brought the group closer. My promotion put it all into a new perspective; I had much to consider.

Upon our return Maria asked me into her chambers, only to reward me with Christina's backpack; I hadn't realized that they had kept it. I thought for sure that her stuff had been tossed into the wreckage. I would take my time in going through her belongings.

I walked slowly to my chambers to think about all that had happened during our trip out of the compound.

The feeding and fucking had been an epic fail. I had been told by Jasmine that it would be expected of me and I thought the fact of him performing oral sex would be the easiest way to start. I hadn't expected him to have such a talented tongue. But when he put his fingers in me and hit the spot. WOW. Yeah, a vampire orgasm is powerful. I felt really guilty that I didn't get to return the favor nor did he even get to cum, but wow. That did feel good. Even if I had only started to do this for Maria, I had to admit, I would be trying that again.

I reached the hallway that led to my room and smelled someone who normally wasn't in this area of the compound.

Carlos.

He was seated next to my door on the floor, reading a book that I believe had come from my room; unless for some reason he had a copy of the Count of Monte Cristo. He really didn't strike me as the type.

He shut the book and stood as I approached. "Bella." He nodded as I looked him over. His clothing looked disheveled and he was wearing shoes that looked like he had worn the tread out on. "Do you have a minute? I'm having a problem and I think only you can help me." As he looked around the halls and to the ground he looked nervous. When he made eye contact with me, he looked scared as hell. Alarms in my head went off, someone had tried to hurt him. Someone scared him. Someone had tried to scare Carlos.

My mind flashed back to hundreds of lessons where he humiliated me, slapped me, laughed at me. He was strong. He was smart. He was one damn good warrior. Memories replayed in my mind of him. Never had I seen him so distraught, upset or scared.

I nodded as I opened my door and stepped inside, holding the door open for him.

His eyes scanned the room and he rushed over to my desk, pulling out the chair and sat down. He looked up at me and then put his head in his hands, scratching his scalp and rested his elbows on his legs sitting far forward. Nerves and fear rolled from him.

He was twitchy, having a hard time trying to say what he needed to, so I gave him a moment and sat the backpack down on my cot. I walked over in front of him and sat down on the ground in front of him on my legs, similar to a kneeling position, but held myself up enough that if he lifted his head, we would be at eye level.

I put my hands on his, and asked him softly. "How can I help you? I can see that you are distressed."

"Distressed?" He choked. He took a deep breath and raised his head, looking me in the eyes. Venom gathered in his eyes as he slid his hands down taking mine with his. His hands were trembling and his lip quivered. Had I been human I would have been so scared from his fear my heart would have stuttered. He held my gaze breathing in another cleansing breath and then started to ask. "What did Stephan do to me?" His eyes widened and he blinked back the venom that had gathered but would not fall.

Anger filled me as I heard his name but I steeled my resolve to this vulnerable man in front of me. He was seeking answers and there were few I could provide. But I would tell him what I knew. "He had some kind of ability that could make you forget things he wanted you to. But I only know one memory that he erased." Carlos' body stiffened and he held my hands with an iron grip but had stopped trembling.

"What did he make me forget?" He whispered.

"Tell me what you remember the night I was taken to the hall of punishments."

His gaze hardened and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and thinking hard, he gasped and then choked again as his eyes flew open and looked at me with shock. Carlos saw very little of the happenings that evening, but Stephan had removed something.

"What did he take from you?" I asked softly as he slid down to the floor. He pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me. I had forgotten how big of a man he was. I sat in his lap dwarfed by his massive arms.

"It was something small. He called us into the room…. Maria was messed up. You were trying to help her. He took that." He continued to rock me as he closed his eyes.

"But that's not what brought you here to my room, is it?"

"No." He whispered so low.

"What happened, Carlos?"

He took a deep breath and pulled me closer into his embrace, his scent enveloped me. Mint and cedar. It reminded me of a cologne that Charlie had worn. I would save that for later and concentrate on the memory of his cologne. Concentrating on aspects of my human life could sometimes bring more memories.

"Everyday I meditate. I meditate before dawn until hours after sun-up." He paused as if in a memory and I let him take his time. "It's how I have come up with some of my best battle tactics. It's how I plan battles and strategize. I also find it the best way to summon up memories from my human life." He stopped rocking me and held still. "This morning as I was cataloguing my normal events, thinking of all the places I had been, of all the things I had done. At the end of my meditation, a memory flashed in my mind that felt hazy and distorted. It was so disturbing that I broke my state of awareness and had to sit and think about that image for a long time until I could pull more."

The vampires at this compound held their secrets close to their chest. No one talked here. You only shared what was necessary and you didn't share other's secrets. Everyone knew something about someone, but you could never know everything. Carlos and I had never had a deeply personal conversation before, but he knew things about me. He was the one who showed me how to concentrate on an item to help bring back human memories. Vampire meditation.

He didn't hang out with anyone in particular. He trained with Ronald often, but they did not share interests. Ronald liked to seduce and play. Carlos wasn't like that. But I had my suspicions. I waited for him to supply me with more information. I played memories of his interactions with Stephan in my mind and a sudden thought crossed my mind. "Did you have a relationship with Stephan?" I asked softly. It had never occurred to me that he could have been mated to him or in love with him.

"In a way;,yes." He sighed.

I concentrated on memories of them in the same vicinity. They would share a look, a nod; nonverbal communication. I was sitting in his lap and I had most likely been the cause of his lover's death. Carlos had already been present for my first dismemberment; it would be simple for him to do it again.

I have placed myself in a very vulernable position trying to help him. Could he be a wolf in sheep's clothing?

oHis hands were on my shoulders, arms wrapped around me acting like he was seeking comfort. But it would take him mere seconds to have me pulled apart and defenseless again. I could be a burning pile of ash in less than a minute. I didn't know what to say. I assumed that vampires could be gay, but I guess I never really thought much about it. Sex is sex. Pleasure is just that, something that feels good. But my hatred for the man that was his lover could not be calmed and I began to feel ready to attack him as well. I would not feel the slightest amount of guilt for Stephan's death.

He deserved to die more than anything I had ever had encountered and I would endure anything to have the pleasure of watching him die again.

As our silence strung out, my tension grew. He took a deep breath not noticing my tension as he was concentrating on his own thoughts. "When I needed release, we would go off somewhere and get off. It was just a simple way to relieve tension." He said matter of factly, as he stared up at the light coming in from my window. "I'm not gay." He said quickly.

I chuckled at his declaration as the tension in the room lessened some.

"You fuck men and you're not gay?" I asked lightly.

He leaned back to look at me, smiled and then laughed. "It was just sex. I didn't feel anything for him. It was a mutual agreement." He said with a little mischievousness. "Ok, I guess I'm bi or something. Ok, I guess I just like pleasure, alright?" He said in a hurried mess. He slid me off his lap to look me in the eye as his smile grew serious. "But that's not the problem."

"Then what's the problem?" He scratched his head and looked back up at the light streaming into the room. He sighed a deep heavy breath and he closed his eyes shaking his head no. "What's the memory Carlos?" I asked with concern.

"It's fuzzy and I can't get the timeline worked out, but I know that he violated me in a violent and unwanted way. It was more than fucking, it was something that he wanted and that I didn't, he just made it happen. It was like he numbed my mind and then did what he wanted. Afterwards I remembered nothing." He looked back up to the window as the sun rose and rays of light shown bright on the wall, causing the dust in the air to be spotlighted no matter how much I cleaned, it was always here. "But this morning, something came back to me."

There was nothing that would make this easier on him. "I'm sorry Carlos. He did tell me he violated every vampire here, but I had hoped that I would be the only one to know. My mind would not let him erase the memory of what he did to me." Carlos watched me carefully as he closed his eyes and concentrated. "Don't try to remember Carlos." He opened his eyes suspicious and started to speak as I held up my hand. "If your experiences are anything like mine, don't; just don't. He was an evil rapist and a violator in the worst way. No one but me even felt like they needed to protect themselves around him. He did horrible things to me and made me watch things….." I stood up and dusted off my pants. I put the biggest smile on my face that I could put on without cracking my skin. "But he's dead now."

Carlos stood and watched me as he walked toward the door. "I understand your joy for his death now. He was a comrade and a buddy to me for some time. This changes things. But with him dead, will all the memories he blocked from us come back now?"

"I don't know."

He opened the door to leave and the scent from the hallway was more than just mine and Jasmine. I would wait for the next person to have a faint memory. I knew that Carlos was here because I had accused Stephan of that very thing. No one here remembered his repeated raping of me and Jasmine. Not even Jasmine. They knew we were in the hall of punishments and he was in charge of us. Maybe it was expected.

But no one knew anything about his violations to Maria. The memory was burned into my psyche. Images, actions, scents all of them crystal clear to me. Causing my hatred to boil for a man that was already dead.

I wanted to kill him again, I wanted to fight. I wanted to tear, rip and destroy. How do you kill a dead man? A dead man that is ash and gone. I followed Carlos out of my room, letting the door close softly behind me as I went to the training room.

I was surprised to see how many people were here. They stood along the walls like they were waiting for us. Miguel, Helen, Jasmine and Ronald were standing along the observation area. As we walked into the center of the room Roberto slid along the wall waiting for the queue as well.

And we began.

It started off as Carlos and I. We went hand to hand for a few minutes until Helen joined us. We took turns getting past Carlos's fists as Miguel joined in and held the guard position. We would tag team and protect one another, flinging each other across the room and attack in succulent precision as a group, paired off teams, and as individuals.

We were a team.

We sparred and sparred and then sparred some more. It was a fantastic release. But the release I really wanted was something that no one here could provide.

I fought harder, raged louder, roared from within. There was no amount of fighting with my colleagues that could satisfy my hatred of Stephan. I caught the distinct scent of Maria enter the room and continued to spar until she called a halt.

She stepped into the center of the room and motioned for me to charge her. I charged with all the passion I had in my system. She moved mere inches but avoided my grasp and my slaps.

We spun and faced off, reaching in and earned the hits of a sparring match. She would get some and then I would. As the group had all gathered and watched the match; everyone sat and coached or gave encouragement for particular moves as we each got one over on the other. On our last move, she slid to go by my side but I was able to reach down and grab her ankle and threw her around 10 feet from me. She stood out on attack mode and smiled at me. A large, almost happy smile, it felt a little eerie to see it.

"Nice match Senator Isa; first time in a long time." She dusted off her clothes and walked out of the arena.

The mumblings in the room grew as everyone stood and started to move back to the sparring area. Garth approached me, but pulled me into a sideways hug with another creepy smile.

"You've brought the old Maria back. Thank you." He slapped my back and then walked out the same door. If I could have shivered, I would have.

Looking around the room, people were training with a sense of glee. They were happy to be here and it felt right. For the first time, I felt like I was supposed to be here.

Roberto gave me a nod indicating that he wanted to talk to me, so I followed him to the hallway. "You have earned Maria's approval and she wanted me to send you a special treat. He's in your room." He gave me a wink and handed me a key. "I hope he is to your liking." He turned and walked back to the training room.

A shiver of excitement ran down my spine. I walked down the hallway with a sense of purpose. As I neared my quarters I heard the heartbeat, it was slow and rhythmic as if they were asleep. My mouth filled with venom as my appetite spiked. I could smell his blood from the hallway. I calmed my instincts and steadied my desires.

When I opened the door there was a man asleep on my cot, he was large and clearly out of place on my bed. He was enormous. As I let the door close with a loud click he was startled awake. As he shot up to a standing position at a quicker than human speed, that is when I noticed the shackles around his ankles, he was bound.

He had shoulder length black hair and dark eyes. A deep color to his skin and his facial features bore a striking resemblance to Paul. He was not Quileute as his features were slightly different along his jaw line, but he was a handsome man. He looked me over and I could see the curiosity in his eyes as I walked closer to him. He was built like no man I had ever seen on the reservation. Jacob would have been dwarfed by him. This man had worked for a living, hard. He had struggled in his capture as he had wounds on his wrists and another on his arm. He watched me as I approached him. I kneeled down to unlock the shackles and he tried to backup, but couldn't move due to the restrictions they placed on him and he lost his balance, falling back onto my cot. I heard the wood crack slightly and it caused my anger to spike.

I grabbed his arm to pull him to standing again and he screamed at me. "Quita tus manos de mí que puta de mierda!" (Get your hands off me you fucking bitch.) His skin was hot and I could only laugh at his obscenities. He was afraid. His stood without a shirt and his body was dirty. I stood looking up at him and my desire spiked. He smelled delicious and his body heat was filling the area where we stood. He raised his hands and his wrists were shackled as well. His hand raised in the air and I watched as it began it's decent to slap me. I reached up and stopped his hand in mid swing and shook my head slowly at him, a coy smile on my lips.

His other hand had tried to grab my shoulder but his grip could not find purchase and he pulled on my shirt. It was a flimsy T-Shirt material and as he pulled on it, it ripped from my body. My nipples pebbled as the air hit them and his body heat washed over my now almost naked torso.

I pulled the hand I held to my breast and felt the searing heat as his skin came into contact with mine. I closed my eyes and gasped out loud as the contact felt satisfying, but his struggling and obscenities continued to annoy me. I looked up to him as my desire stalled and realized that this man would not be game for sexual exploits. He was in a rage and was screaming at me and trying to hit me, but had found that his blows were getting no notice from me. His hands continued to try and abuse me, but I didn't even register their contact as they did me no damage. I was merely enjoying his body heat and the smell of his blood. I was turned on by this and it repulsed me.

I pulled his wrist closer and unlocked the cuff and then unlocked the other. He started to move and I kneeled down to unlock the ankle shackles. I refused to give him instruction as his screaming and yelling only became louder as I unlocked him from his restraints.

Once he was fully freed from the metal bindings he leaned back and moved to me with his full force and hit me with his shoulder. I moved.

Shocked that a human could actually possess the strength to move me, I looked him over again and watched as he tried once again. I reached up towards his face and smacked him. Pain washing over his features as he backed away from me as his voice and screaming became louder.

They were in vain.

I felt feral and powerful; unbreakable around this human. He grabbed my chair and swung it at me, and it broke over my shoulder. I watched as the splintered wood scattered on my floor and realized the hours it would take to patch it back together.

"That was my chair." I finally growled out.

He dropped the scraps of wood when I finally spoke and I saw the fear creep into his features. His eyes grew large and he tried to run to the back of my quarters. I was faster, moving faster than he could see I stood in front of him, blocking his way. He turned to run the other direction. As he neared the door, I moved to block his way.

This was becoming a boring game of cat and mouse. He didn't run fast enough.

He broke out in a sweat, emitting fear and continued the string of profanities. I tried to play with him, but he was not strong enough. I tried to give him a few slaps, but he finally crumbled onto the floor and started to weep. I wanted to feel bad for him, or empathy, something. But I felt nothing.

I finally realized that my humanity was gone. I stood there and watched him as he cried and sobbed, telling me about his family at home. How his mother was waiting on him to bring home money so they could pay for food and his wife was staying with her because he had lost his job. I still felt nothing.

I wanted to, but I just didn't.

I kneeled down to him and pulled him close. He struggled and yelled but unceremoniously I sunk my teeth into his jugular and fed. His thick blood was untainted and well nourished. He was hearty and satisfying. From what I remembered of eating as a human, he would have been described as organic. Pure, untainted and filling, only it wasn't satisfying. I felt kind of numb.

He struggled until his strength failed him. His last few breaths were wasted on a prayer and I continued to pull from him until after his heart stopped beating, pulling all of his life's blood that could be emptied.

I looked around the room and at myself, I hadn't spilled a drop. I pulled the lifeless and drained body near the door and went to change. I needed to get out of here for a bit.

I moved the backpack given to me earlier over to my desk and peeked inside. There was nothing that I thought was particularly important inside except her laptop. I'm sure, other than Garth there wasn't anyone here who would want to use it. I would take it out in the next few nights.

I pulled out a change of clothing and discarded the remnants of my shirt. Slipping into the tub I washed off the grime that had clung to my skin from the sparring match and then the ever present dust that was in my quarters. I had changed into slacks and a light colored blouse as I wouldn't be hitting the clubs tonight. I wanted something a little more sophisticated tonight.

I brushed my hair and put on a slight brushing of makeup. I had tried very little and the potions and lotions that Jasmine had given me were from her personal stash. Items she had taken from nearby stores and victims. The selections were limited.

My putting on the eyeliner and mascara with a touch of blush rounded out the look I was going for, slipped on a pair of low heels and grabbed my purse.

No one watched me this time. I guess I had been labeled as responsible and reliable since I had a new title.

Senator.

I felt an odd sense of pride letting it roll around in my mind. But Senator Isa felt acceptable.

I stepped outside the compound realizing that it was almost dusk. Perfect. I pulled off my shoes and started running toward the business district. It was a weekday I believe. I ran to the edge of town and ducked behind a building before slipping on my heels and walking down the sidewalk before reaching a busier section where I could blend in.

I passed the malls and shopping district before getting to the downtown maze and found a hotel with a bar that had a few patrons inside; business people doing there thing.

Yeah, just another day at the office.

Walking inside the smell of the recently polished floors made the hotel feel warm and inviting. My heels echoed on the granite as I walked into the bar and sat on a stool waiting for the bartender to approach.

There were more people inside than I had anticipated, there were so many heartbeats that when I turned around I was surprised to find over fifty people along the back wall mingling.

"What do you want darlin'?" The bartender's southern drawl had me spinning in his direction to see the mouth that created that music.

He was short and stocky with muscles stretching his shirt. I smiled at him with as much coyness as possible and heard his heart speed up slightly. "Tequila. Straight up, no salt, no fruit."

He looked a little taken back. "No fruit?" He looked confused.

I reached up and twirled my hair a small amount, trying to act as human as possible. "No lemon, no lime, no oranges."

"Ice?" He smiled back.

"No thank you." I turned back around to watch the patrons of the bar while he made my drink. The bartender whispered under his breath something flattering about me and pulled out his phone and started to text.

That triggered another memory.

I had texted Carlisle right before Miguel and Helen had Christina and I leave our dorm room. I apologized for something. The memory was a little fuzzy but I remembered thinking that my apology would bring them running to me. I had faith that they would find me.

Had the Cullens ever made an effort to find me? Surely Alice would have seen something happen? I didn't want to think about them. Memories of them only tainted my existence and made me feel like a prisoner.

"I don't need saved." I commented to no one.

"No you don't beautiful." The man sitting beside me turned and commented. He was dressed to the nines in a custom fitted back suit, burgundy dress shirt and grey tie. His shoes were shined and he was fit. Around mid thirties would be my guess. No wedding ring.

I grabbed the glass of tequila that the bartender had placed in front of me earlier and I took a small sip letting the fumes of the alcohol mix with the venom that had gathered in my mouth. Like acid mixing with gasoline it burned so good. I swallowed letting the sensation follow down my throat before it no longer could be felt.

"Thank you handsome." I smiled at the man. Looking him over I heard his breath hitch and his heart speed up when he realized I was checking him out. I extended my hand in introduction. "My name is Marie."

"Well, Marie…. We could play games here all night, play coy and get drunk and then end up in my room. Or we can just drop the pretenses and just go up to my room." He smiled his million dollar smile. "My name is Justin."

I wanted to hate him for his arrogance but I just couldn't find it in me to dislike him for offering me exactly what I wanted.

I hid my smile behind my hand and looked away for a few seconds before I threw my drink back and picked up my purse. I stood up and leaned over his back to his ear. "If you think you can handle it, so can I."

I watched the cocky smirk cross his features and let my attraction to him grow. He threw back his drink and stood, gesturing for me to lead the way. I walked toward the elevator hoping he had a room here.

He walked in behind me and pushed the seventh floor.

_Good, those are the normal rooms. Screams don't echo in a normal room. God I hope I don't kill him on the first romp._

He opened the door to a room with a king sized bed and a small couch. I walked over and placed my purse on the couch and turned to see him removing his jacket and loosening his tie. I walked over to him and kissed him slowly. He looked at me with concern and I knew he felt how cold my skin felt.

Small steps.

I ground my body against him, letting his heat seep into me. My hands pulled his firm ass into me and he groaned upon contact. I could feel his erection pushing into my thigh.

Easy now.

I was really ready for this and I wanted him now. I grabbed his collar and threw him to the bed. He looked a little stunned at first but smiled when he saw me pulling my shirt out of my pants and over my head. I slipped out of my heels and unbuttoned my slacks letting them fall to the ground. I could feel the moisture from my pussy.

He lay back on his elbows and watched me as I undressed. Standing in only a bra and panties he palmed himself through his pants.

"Now, are you gonna undress yourself or do I need to rip your clothes off?" I slowly approached him; his eyes were dilated, knowing that he was turned on by this, he smiled,

"Rip them off." He taunted.

I stepped up to him and grabbed the shirt and shredded it without much effort. Once I had tossed the remnants aside I grabbed his black slacks and pulled softer and slower this time. They split at the seams, ripping down the sides taking his boxers with them.

What a beautiful specimen of man flesh.

I could smell the fear, adrenaline and arousal seeping out of his pores. His cock stood tall and he lay back like a buffet. I couldn't resist as I grabbed his leg and licked up his calf, to his knee. He shivered. I let my tongue trail up his thigh where I breathed in his scent at his groin. Reaching softly as possible I started to stroke his beautiful cock and I trailed up his hairline on his stomach to his abs and put my other hand on his peck.

I kissed and nipped my way to his nipples where I kept my teeth from sinking into his well defined muscles. He was lean and the stroking of his cock left him panting.

"Don't you cum yet Justin." I ordered.

His eyes flew open upon my command and he swallowed thickly, trying to keep his breath under control. I lowered my underwear to the floor and then lowered myself to his cock.

Heat. Burning. Friction.

I moved slowly, agonizingly slowly from his moans. He tried to thrust up into me, but I held his hips down so that he had to go at my pace. I was afraid to do anything without purposefully doing it slow. I would kill him without concentration.

He was twitching and trying to thrust, trying to cum but I was keeping him from it. I rubbed my clit while his cock filled me. I wanted to pound into him, I wanted to ride; increase the friction but I knew I couldn't. I couldn't get the right amount of rubbing to cum. I stood and his cock popped out of my pussy and I turned around and bent over, waiting for him.

"Just fuck me." I pleaded.

And he did just that. He grabbed my hips and plunged into my wetness and fucked me as hard as he could. It was a good thing that my pussy wasn't as hard as the rest of me. I rubbed my clit until I got the friction I needed and I roared my release quickly. My pussy twitched and grabbed pulling his cock and milking him for all he had. A human cock in a vampire pussy gets a good squeeze. He grunted and pushed and slapped until he came with loud groan. The anticipation of sex with a human turned out to be a lot better than the actual act and the fluids.

He lay back panting and I looked in front of me where my hands had sunk into the wooden desk.

"That was fantastic Maria." He panted out as he pulled the covers up. "You can stay here and sleep if you want."

"Thank you Justin but I should be going."

He closed his eyes and I grabbed my clothing and put them on faster than he could have seen. He was asleep in a matter of seconds.

I sat down in the chair to watch him sleep. I felt jealous of the fact that he could and I could not. I contemplated killing him. I could drain him, but I wasn't hungry. I could wait for him to awaken, but it wasn't the sexual release I was expecting. I wanted to fuck him and I couldn't. I knew that it would just kill him.

This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

I decided to head back to the compound. It was nearing two in the morning and the night would hide me as I ran. As I started to walk out the door I felt a heavy weight in my chest. I looked back at the human man snoring loudly now in the rumpled bed.

I tried to give myself a mental check to see if the weight in my chest was from me leaving him there. The only thing I felt for him was that he could be a potential meal. And that wasn't much. He was drunk and smelling of cum. He has no idea how lucky he is to be alive.

I walked out the door and felt the weight in my chest get heavier. As I walked outside into the darkness I pulled off my shoes and ran towards the compound. The more I ran the heavier it felt.

The heaviness turned into a burning; not a burning like hunger, a burning like desire. It fueled me to run faster and I pushed my legs. I felt my body hit that runners high as I ran towards the compound.

This must be what drugs felt like as a human.

The compound wasn't far from where I had been and I arrived at the back where I had normally entered so as to avoid the road. I heard a commotion near the front, it was like a rope pulling me to it. I felt high and heavy at the same time.

I walked into the hallway leading to the front vestibule. I could see Maria and Garth, she was pointing to someone. I ran as fast as I could to the clearing.

The burning and heaviness in my chest would have been suffocating had I been human. When I stepped into the vestibule the elation hit me. I felt high and happiness.

Joy, pure unadulterated, joy.

"Bella?" I heard my former name fall from his lips. His voice sounded like the welcome home song for me. I wanted to cry and laugh. It sounded beautiful.

Falling to his knees; he had fresh scars on his arms, a leg held on by mere tendons barely healing with weakened venom, it was him. He looked up to me, red eyes taking me in, he smiled and collapsed.

"Jasper." Was all I could whisper.

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><p><strong>AN: Hello everyone, sorry this took so long. Author fail but I had to get this right. I hope to post the next chapter soon, so leave me some love and I'll get it out much faster than this one took. - Vic<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 15**

_¿Qué carajo?_

_WTF?_

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><p><strong>JPOV<strong>

I knew this was a bad plan. Listening to Peter is going to get me killed one day. And it's odd that I finally want to live again; Bella was alive and with Maria. I would go wherever she was, it didn't matter.

Maria wanted Peter back. She wanted him and Charlotte to come back and train new recruits. He negotiated their return; he and Charlotte would come and train newborns. She would house them, provide blood and they could earn part of the spoils of war. They had one stipulation for return; she had to accept me back as well. I waited in a nearby building in town before going back to the compound with them. I didn't want to have to storm her facility to save them should she turn out to be more dishonest than we already knew her to be.

But she wasn't a liar in battle or about war; she loved it, thrived on it, bathed in blood. Memories flashed before my eyes as I saw our past conquests. Absence is supposed to make the heart grow fonder, but never with Maria.

"I see you have returned to me finally, Major." She snarled.

I looked her in the eyes, to answer her. It was meant as a sign of disrespect but she just took it as a sexual desire, which she tried to flood me with. "Disgusting," I remarked low enough for her to hear, but not loud enough for all in the room to hear, sending her the repulsion I felt for her. Fucking Alice was more appealing than the thought of being with her.

Peter and Charlotte stood beside me. He was positive she would want us here. She wanted to fight again.

"Let's discuss the reinsertion into my army." She turned on her heel to face Charlotte, nose to nose. "I don't remember you having the skills to fight well and training would be out of the question." She waved her right hand in a dismissive manner. "Peter's old quarters are still available. I believe you should remember where they were. You slinked there enough in the middle of the day." She smiled spitefully. "Go play the good little housewife and fix it up nice for your mate." She said snidely as she turned from her.

Peter reached out and grabbed Maria's arm. The guard that stood in the room stepped forward, and growled as his grip tightened and he stared her down. He gritted his teeth as he spoke. "She is my mate and my wife. You will treat her with respect or we will leave you here to do this by yourself." He paused letting his words hang in the air. Shaking her just slightly he leaned forward into her face. "We merely came here out of boredom and to get a piece of the action. Don't you think that Reynosa is out there doing the same?"

She yanked his hand from her arm and took a step back, looking him over with contemplation. She stepped over to Charlotte and faced her again. "My apologies Charlotte, let me rephrase that, I would like to go over ideas for newborns and training and as I recall you do not have expertise in that area. You can join in the conversation if you wish. If not, no one has lived in Peter's old quarters since he left,they will need some cleaning and furniture if you would prefer to work on that kind of thing. If you do not remember it's location, I can have Jasmine show you there if you would like to look over the area and make a list of the items you will need."

Charlotte smiled sweetly back at Maria. "Thank you Maria. I would like to go and look over our quarters. Should I look over The Major's as well?"

Maria smiled with a teasing sparkle in her eye as she looked at me when she answered Charlotte, "No, he will have to discuss his quarters with the person who resides there now. He knows her." She raised an eyebrow looking for my reaction, in which I gave none.

"And who would that be Maria?" Charlotte asked for me.

"Her name is Isabella. She is known as Senator Isa here, you met her in Santa Fe." She turned to look at me as she spoke. "She will be your superior officer and it would be in your best interest to make sure you keep her happy."

"Bella Swan?" I had to ask. I needed the confirmation.

"SENATOR ISA is what you will address her as. Nothing else." She screamed at me. Pushing me back with her arms, and the rage she was throwing my way.

My superior officer? Bella, er Senator Isa, would be my superior officer. "How old is she?"

"That matters not. She is the key to our survival and the key to taking over the South again. I think your new position until the newborns arrive is her bitch; you will do everything in your power to make her happy." Maria was feeling very vengeful and sending me tons of it.

Peter spoke up at this time. "Have we lost our rank in your army Maria? Our experience and expertise is well enough to earn respect." She turned to address him again.

"You and Charlotte keep your status just fine. You can deal with how you want people to address you. You are still a Captain and Charlotte was a private. Your rank and respect is not in question. You were a fleeing mated couple. I understand and respect the issues that causes being in my army. I meant what I said when I said that mated couples were free to leave." She turned on her heel and came to stand in front of me. "But not non-mated deserters. Officers that abandon their station have no respect for that position. Obviously he needs some re-training and that status needs to be earned."

She was sending rage and hatred my way, but I knew it was the way she used to manipulate me when I was here. That doesn't work anymore. I could block or divert any emotion and I would start now. I projected amusement.

"Do you find me funny?" She asked me.

She reached her hand out to smack me and I anticipated it and caught it. She turned and flipped me on my back, biting my arm deep into the flesh, pushing her venom into my wound. Damn that hurt. I was getting soft from my time with the Cullens.

Peter's eyes were not amused, he looked appalled. I guess seeing me on my back with Maria holding me down after marking me again would be something he wasn't expecting. It had been awhile since I had been attacked. I should have been angry or offended, insulted even, but I wasn't going to let her get to me.

She stood me up gripping my arm, scratching several lines down, causing my venom to leak. I merely gritted my teeth and smiled.

"No Maria. And I am not desperate or destitute to be in your army either."

"Ah but you see, you are a deserter, an abandoner, a betrayer, derelict, traitor." She leaned closer so that her breath would wash over my face. "An escapee." She looked down at her nails and then smiled wickedly at me again. "Peter and Charlotte are free to leave at any time. I would appreciate some notice, but they are free. But you_ Jasper_, you are not free to leave. You belong to me."

"I belong to no one." I growled out.

"Everyone here with the exception of our mated couple here, belongs to me. You knew the rules. Welcome back."

She turned her back to me and as I went to snap at her a big guy with a protective tie to Maria slid in front of me and grabbed my leg, letting me dangle upside down. My slow reflexes to the soldiers around me have me questioning my choice to come back for Bella. I watched from my upside down position as more vampires joined in the room. I was trying to keep my embarrassment inside as this would only please Maria that she had finally found a way to get a reaction from me.

"You will do as I say. And if I want you to wash Senator Isa's floors, you will do so. You will be here to do whatever she wants. This will help her forget the freak of a coven you belong to."

I said nothing. She didn't need to know that I wasn't with them anymore, that they kicked me out as well. That I had been searching for Bella since her disappearance; she couldn't possibly know that I'm here for her. She steps back in thought as she rolled thoughts around in her head, I didn't want to hear any more of Maria's ramblings.

I just want to see Bella. Where is she? I feel my chest burning. She is close, I can feel the pull that it exerts on me. Making me weak, making my gift harder to keep reined in. I want to get free, I want to run to her. I try to pull in a breath but I can't without choking.

"I'm surprised your coven left her with the knowledge she held. The Volturi would have destroyed all of you if they had found out." She smiled picking at her nails. "Did they kick you out? Did you slip? Is that why your eyes are red now?" She smiled a falsely sweet smile leaning down and looking at me with blinking eyes. "Did you have an accident?"

I turned my head, refusing to give her a reaction. She was trying to push my buttons. I'm sure I was projecting my irritation, but I reined in what I could. I was dangling upside down in the middle of the room with an enormous man holding me.

"She was your brother's lover, was she not?"

I growled and struggled to get free from this large vampire. He shook me as I tried to bite his leg and he threw me as the flesh tore in my leg. I landed on my knees. Venom leaked from the torn skin.

"She was not his lover you bitch."

"Garth." I hadn't even noticed him standing there; that creepy fucker from before my escape. He stood and watched me as I felt his gift trying to get to me. I projected the same thing right back to him and the patrons in the room. As he increased the volume, so did I. Some of the members of the room swayed on their feet and grabbed a wall. Maria leaned back to the wall. I stood.

The room swayed and stumbled as we warred with our gifts. I changed tactics and sent him enough fear and pain to have him lying down on the ground crying.

I felt her. She was running this way. My chest grew heavier and hotter. The memories of my change flashed before my eyes as I felt the intensity grow. My leg wasn't quite healed enough to put weight on it and I wanted to run to her.

Her presence caused me to let up off my gift, feel dizzy and short of breath.

Maria was pointing to me and there was shouting as she burst into the room.

Joy, pure unadulterated joy.

"Bella." Was all I could mutter. She was a vision of glory; brown hair down the middle of her back, smooth alabaster skin, gleaming red eyes, marks of battle scars peeking out of the collar of her shirt. My medal adorned around her neck. I felt goofy with her presence and I felt exhausted as Garth's gift hit me.

**xxxXXXxxxx**

I awoke with a jolt. Bella was growling and snarling with me in her arms. I tried to move but she slung me over her shoulder and let out a feral screech. "Mine."

They all backed up from her. I could feel the fear coming off of Garth and the concern from Maria. The big guy approached her with a casual confidence.

"Isa? Put him down. Roberto will bring him blood. He'll be healed up in no time."

She turned her head to him slowly. "Carlos. Back up, he's mine."

"Yes, Maria has already established that he is yours to do with as you please. He is to serve you for as long as she sees fit."

She looked around the room and relaxed a fraction. She swung me back down to the floor where I slammed down with a resounding thwack and put her foot on my chest. She was staring Garth down and she smiled at him as she crossed her arms.

Garth was staring at me but there was nothing happening. I tried to feel his emotions, but it was too fuzzy. I sent him some anger and Bella looked down at me with her brow furrowed, shaking her head no.

She turned to the man she had called Carlos. "Where is Roberto? Tell him to bring it." She didn't say it as a question, she was demanding it.

God she was beautiful. She looked down at me as my feelings for her seeped out. I was in awe of her beauty, of her presence, of the fact that the heavy and hot feeling in my chest was gone. I took in a deep breath to take in her scent and smelled a foreign substance. It was human. And if I recalled correctly from the Forks High hidden closets, a man's cum.

I felt betrayed, conflicted, hurt. Had she been out fucking a human? I wanted to be mad, I wanted to yell. But I would have to be mad and yell at myself in the same breath. If Peter hadn't appeared, I would have been doing the same thing less than four hours ago.

The exact same thing.

A man came down the hall with a human in tow. It was a woman, she smelled horrible. Sweat, piss, filth. She had drugs in her system and she reeked of fear. He brought her into the room and stood her up near Carlos.

She was a slip of a human. The amount of fear she was putting out was all the reminiscing I needed to remind me of why I had needed to hunt animals so many years ago.

Carlos nodded toward the man with the human and he walked toward us. Bella took her foot off of my chest, grabbed the human and was standing beside me quickly. I lay on the floor like a stupid-ass and she reached down and grabbed my shirt, pulling me to standing. "Drink!" She said harshly, while looking at the human with her nose wrinkled.

I looked at the human. I needed the nourishment, but I didn't want to feel the fear she was putting out. She was drenched in her own sweat and piss and smelled worse now that she was standing next to me. "Jesus! You can't drain a pimped out drug whore standing in front of you like a buffet on Thanksgiving day, but you had to try and take a bite out of me on my fuckin birthday?"

After she said it, I felt her anger, fully unleashed.

Anger, resentment, worthlessness, lust, love, fear.

The Bella cocktail was back, only stronger and more confusing. Lust? Love? Fear? Those were all directed at me. I stood in dumbfounded amazement. Being near her was causing my brain to go all wishy-washy. The fantasies I had created in my imagination were nothing compared to a vampire Bella. I wanted to fall to my knees and worship at her feet. I couldn't even form words to answer her.

I tried to clear my thoughts, shaking my head. I looked at the human again and my mind started to swim. My mind went fuzzy and my body felt tired. I started to wobble on my feet again.

"God damn it Garth!" She yelled. Immediately my senses came back to me and the numbness that was taking over my mind was gone. "Drink now Jasper!" She pushed the human to me and I could feel the guilt wash over me. She was the type of human I would normally feed on but they had just scared her so bad that she could do nothing but tremble in fear. I sent her some happy lethargy.

Bella watched me as my human smiled and got tipsy tired. I pulled her to me, biting and pulling on her neck hard, causing her heart to stutter in three seconds. By the third pull, she was drained and her heart beat no more. Her blood raced through my system quickly and I could feel the pain of the healing flesh in my leg. I looked up to the man who brought me the human, Roberto.

"Thank you." He stood indifferently and looked me over. No judgments, no expression. He watched Bella carefully as she stood staring at Garth, she had a wicked little smirk while he stood looking like a petulant child, concentrating and looking at me with anger. But I couldn't feel him, in fact I couldn't feel anyone in this room except Bella. Was she stopping him from using his gift on me?

"Stop protecting him Isa." He commanded. Her eyes narrowed and she looked over to Maria for confirmation.

"Cease this childishness both of you." Maria screamed.

The sensations of all the emotions of the room hit me like a wrecking ball. The man who they called Carlos was irritated, as was Roberto; Peter was curious and Charlotte was concerned. They were watching the exchange between Garth and Bella. Maria was angry, but it wasn't directed at me, it was directed at Bella and Garth. I looked him over carefully now that I wasn't in a battle of the wills. He was still a freaky looking albino. Still small, still likely alone. He was probably too scary to even service Maria, unless she was really desperate.

"Isa, welcome to the party." She walked over to where we were standing side by side now, "We have some updates for you. Peter and Charlotte have decided to come and join our army. You remember them from our encounter in Santa Fe. They are a mated couple, so as you know that they are free to come and go as they please." She circled us as she spoke, stopping to look Bella in the eye as she smiled looking at me. "And they brought someone back to us. Someone I'm sure that the both of us were sure we'd never see again."

Bella turned to me and smiled, it was a false smile. Her emotions were so sad, so desolate, so empty that if I hadn't been in the presence of everyone here I would be begging her to tell me what was wrong. Whatever it was, I would fix it.

"Yes Maria, I must agree. I never thought that I would see Jasper again." Bella turned and stepped to stand beside Maria. "So, what are we going to do with him?"

"You Isa, not me. I have business and planning to work on. Peter and Garth will be with me in the command center. You may join us after you have assigned Jasper some tasks."

"Tasks?" Bella queried.

"Yes, tasks. He has been stripped of his rank and will begin again. I believe a couple months of him being your bitch are in order." Bella nodded her head, but her feelings were anything but agreeable. Her emotions were screaming so many emotions I wanted to sigh with the exhaustion of her roller coaster. "I know how you like to keep things in pristine order. And since you now have his former quarters, I believe he should start with any tasks you have there and he can reside in the room next to yours."

She looked over to Maria laughing, "The broom closet?"

"He needs little. Maybe later you can take him to the training room and whip his ass some." Maria stepped back, expecting Bella to do the same. Without hesitation, Bella followed her to greet Peter and Charlotte again. They made plans to sit and talk later while they left me in the middle of the room. I was ignored.

The pain in my chest was gone, but a longing for Bella started to build. I wanted to do anything in my power to please her. My mind went through a million questions I wanted to ask her. How did she get here? Who brought her here? What had they done to her? How did she get promoted so quickly? And who was that damn human's cum that was in her?

"Oh Isa, please send him somewhere so that he will stop projecting so much curiosity. He is killing me over here." Carlos called across the room.

Bella stood before me, sadness overwhelming her. Her feelings of betrayal and inadequacy were overwhelming. She was trying to find words, overwhelmed by me being here. I just had to apologize for making her so uncomfortable. "Bella, I'm so sorry for everyth-"

SLAP. My hand flew to my cheek and I stood stunned. She stood before me, blank, emotionless, a complete blank slate of emotions as her face steeled.

"Do you know the way to my quarters?" Since our memories are forever, I could never forget and she knew that.

"Yes." All eyes in the room were on our exchange. Maria was feeling triumphant at her demoralizing me with the slap.

"Yes what?" Was she really going to treat me like her subordinate? Instead of her… her what? Her former family member? Her almost ex brother in law? I always felt closer to her than a brother. Was this pull, this fire, for mates? Her mate? Did she feel the same?

My eyes scanned the room and I caught Peter with a big smile on his face.

"Yes Bella."

SLAP

"My name is Isa, try again."

"Yes Isa." I can't believe she's doing this to me. Why doesn't she just give the recognition of me as her mate?

"Next time you will address me as Senator Isa. But for now, go. There is an area in the back of the room where the things you left are laid out for you to move to your new closet. I will be there within the hour. Wait for me in the middle of the room." If I could have shivered, I would have. She was commanding, authoritative, decisive. My lust for this woman skyrocketed as I watched her. She walked closer to me as I watched her body in motion. Her eyes turned black as she got within inches of my face. "Go. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes Senator Isa." It was all I could say. I wanted to take her body here in the middle of the room with everyone watching. I felt on fire. I turned to walk down the hallway sporting a hard on that, had I not been wearing jeans, would have been tenting my pants. I walked quickly down the four hallways to get to the room that was once mine; the burn in my chest started again at a mildly painful rate as I reached the door.

There stood the door. It looked almost the same, except the doorknob had been replaced and the surface had been sanded. I existed in that room. It was my sanctuary. It was my one and only escape from the war, blood and hate. I nervously reached for the door knob and turned it slowly, letting the door open when the mechanism released the tumbler.

I knew that my scent was leather and tobacco, I had been told a hundred times. Alice had constantly tried to cover it up as she thought tobacco to be low class and leather only to be put on shoes and purses. The scent of leather and tobacco filled the room and spilled out into the hall through the open door; the burn in my chest went up a notch.

A human had been here recently. I could smell his blood and could see where he had been removed. The scent was Roberto. Roberto had been in her room, as had a human. Jealousy warred within me as I took in the life she lived. She had visitors to her room, human, vampire. She was well respected and had been promoted to Maria's officer level. Two of the vampires in the room had very protective emotions tied to her and one loved her in a very sisterly way.

How could the sweet, loving, passionate Bella Swan fit in here so well?

I opened the door more to see that the room was not what I remembered other than in form. My old cot was still along the wall as was my old desk. The chair had been recently broken and laid in a small pile on the floor. There were vases of drying tobacco leaves along the wall; the window was just letting in the first rays of sunlight of the day.

Her quarters were simply stated; beautiful. I wandered the room to look at all the things that made this her space. The walls had been painted. The bookcase had been refinished and it had hundreds of books stuffed into every available space. I looked at the titles and there were history books, romance novels, classics; a few of them were once mine but abandoned. Such a vast array of different genres that it could second as a small library.

The galvanized tub that stood on the old pedestal had been resurfaced and polished with white porcelain. The stove had been replaced and the pot was shined and reinforced. There were baskets of scented body wash, shampoo, lotions and oils lined up on a small stand near her bathing area. I closed my eyes and imagined a naked Bella washing her body, the loofah ghosting over her skin and washing off the days grime. The burn increased in my chest again, but also started in my groin. I stopped my fantasizing and moved to the next item in the room.

I followed the wall to the shelving where she had her clothing. Shoes and boots were lined up neatly on the bottom shelf. Jeans on the second, slacks and dress shirts on the top shelf. The middle shelf held tank tops and a few varied T-shirts. Not vast closets like the Cullens. Enough for her to get by, maybe enough to have a few favorites, but nothing in excess.

At the end of the shelf there was a small section where there was another shelf stuffed into the recess. On that small set of shelves were my boots, books, pants and t-shirts from sixty years ago. There was a small bag on top of the clothing that I recognized as mine as well. The pants and shirts were delicate with age, but the boots; the boots had been polished and shined. The soles had been roughed up so that they would have a grip. The polish had been rubbed into the leather repeatedly. She had spent a long time on restoring the leather to its now pristine condition

I held up a boot to admire her handy work and realized that time had been fleeting. I inhaled a lungful of the leather aroma appreciating the time and patience she had taken to work on them. The burn in my chest caused me to clutch it as I placed the boot back on the shelf. I had been in here wandering and looking around, not performing any tasks of value. I thought back to her words, she hadn't given the order to move my things, just informed me that they were there. She did tell me to wait in the middle of her room for her. I wanted her to be here.

Most likely all of the vampires in this facility knew what I could do, Bella having been exposed to me as a human knew that I felt everything she sent me as well. I stood waiting for her in the middle of her room, anticipation rolling off of me.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on anyone I could feel nearby. It was mostly curiosity that filled the emotions of the people in the compound. Some were numb, and there were two that were anticipatory; Maria and Garth. Peter and Carlos were nearby and were floating in skepticism. They were talking at volumes low enough that I could not hear them from here.

Bella was closer than I had anticipated. She was one hallway over from me. She was with the one they called Jasmine and with Charlotte. I tried to concentrate on the conversation but I could only pick up a few snippets, just random words.

Dark… fabric…. denim…. eggshell…Mexico… mate… durable… money… shopping center…. Nine PM…

I tried to tune them out as I focused on Bella. Her cocktail had changed to curiosity and excitement. She had accepted Charlotte and trusted her as much as she trusted anyone here. If her trust levels in the entrance were any indication, she trusted very few here. Carlos, Roberto and some for Jasmine. I tried to take my range further and seek out more, but once I located Bella, it was very difficult to do anything other than focus on her.

She walked away from Charlotte and Jasmine telling them that she would talk to them soon; they continued to chat about shopping and the things that they could do to their quarters and where they could get them.

Her emotions turned dark and concerned as she turned to walk down the hallway for her quarters. She was thinking hard as she walked almost silently down the hall. She stood on the other side of the door shutting down her emotions and taking several cleansing breaths before turning the knob and walking in.

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><p><strong>AN: So for all you folks that called me evil for the cliffy in last chapter…. Better? Worse? Calling me names only excites me, just so you know! <strong>

**wendy1969 Thank you for your review that inspired the naming of this chapter…if I could only express the joy it brings to have a review…. **

**Teasers for Chapter 16 to all enabled reviewers! Love you guys - Vic**


	16. Chapter 16

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Beta'd by LucyLu74, pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 16**

_El encuentro con el hambre_

_Encountering hunger_

**BPOV**

* * *

><p>Sending Jasper to my quarters away from me, had to be one of the hardest things I believe I've ever done in my life. Carlos watched me carefully, as Roberto walked up to me and smiled, patting my shoulder in support. "If you need me, all you have to do is say the word."<p>

I smiled and nodded in thanks. I hadn't really told anyone here the whole story about the Cullens, it was too humiliating. The more I thought about them, the harder it was to keep myself from slipping into a depressed state. I thought about them too often, especially Jasper; I had to send him away. Having him in the same room was making me crazy. His scent, his emotions, him. I wanted a hundred things all at once. If I could have hit him and fucked him at the same time, I would have.

When I ran into that room and I saw him hurt; the burning in my chest stopped and something took over inside of me, making me want to protect him at all costs. As I stood in the middle of the room and assessed that he was in no real danger, I wanted to punish him, slap him, hurt him, rub my body against him. Inhaling his scent made my knees weak, my connection to him was more significant than I had thought.

The Cullens had told me enough so that I knew their secret, but hadn't told me enough to really keep myself safe. They could have told me so much more. Jasper could have told me so much more. The Cullen family thought they were so superior to everyone. I hated them. The people here at this compound may not express their profound love and adoration for me, but I was respected. They knew me and they wanted me here.

Then Garth had to start hitting him with his knock out mojo and he knew that he was making me mad. He actually gave me a direct order. He had never challenged me in such a way. He was threatening Jasper and it sent me into overdrive. Going over my actions in the room, I had to question some of them; I actually gave Carlos an order.

I had finally finished talking to everyone after sending Jasper to my quarters. I wanted to avoid our confrontation all together. I stepped into the command center where Maria, Peter and Garth were pulling out maps and talking about armies of years past. She started talking about how the army used to be, rank and file, so many newborns and being on top. Carlos stepped inside as I was leaving, he gave me a small smile as he sat down next to Peter. I needed to get out of there too. Spending time with Peter would only make my mind race.

I met up with Jasmine and Charlotte after I left the command center. Charlotte was a very interesting vampire. She had been around the world a bit, well traveled and personable. She knew what she liked and she knew her mind. I would be trying to spend more time with her in the very near future.

But I couldn't delay anymore. It was time to go and face him. I stood at the end of the hallway and all the memories of the Cullens kicking me out of their family played in the fuzziness that was a human memory. They voted me out. Jasper was the last one to speak to me before they disappeared.

I started to walk towards my quarters thinking of all the things they could have told me. Jasper in particular. Every time I walked into my room I am enveloped in imitations of his smell. I lay longing for him, knowing that it's him that keeps my heart tied to the moon.

Why last night of all nights did I feel the absence of him? I went and found a human to fuck and now I reek of his fluids on my skin.

_Fantastic._

I tried to calm myself to a state in which Jasper wouldn't feel what was going on within my body. It was hard to describe and even harder to define.

_Here goes nothing._

I grabbed the door knob and opened the door without preamble.

There he stood, in the middle of my room. Eyes cast down to the floor, just like a newborn is ordered to do. Just as I ordered. Blonde hair a mess. T-shirt dirty. Jeans ripped. Cowboy boots.

_Fuck. Cowboy boots. I swear my pussy just clenched._

I stepped in and took a deep breath. His scent, along with all the imitations I had put in the room, filled my lungs. I closed the door, slamming it. He flinched but he didn't look up. Seeing him standing there, submissive and unsure made me want to order him around.

_He could have told me so much more._

I wanted to bathe. I needed to get these human fluids off of me. I wanted to grab him and throw him to the floor and have my way with him, but I was afraid. What does that mean? I want him so bad. He was my human ex-boyfriend's brother and my ex-best friend's husband. What does that make me? I just want his hands on me.

"How are you at washing things?" I asked with an authority that I didn't feel.

He started to speak four times before he could finally spit the words out. "I can wash things just fine." His hesitation and seemed nervousness helped me immensely.

"Look at me Jasper." He raised his head and looked me in the eyes. Eyes that looked on the verge of tears if we were able to cry. Beautiful features that as a human would have made me weak in the knees, and now he was just another beautiful vampire. But his scars; they were on every surface that he had exposed. I walked forward and grabbed the scrap of a shirt he wore, pulling it slowly and feeling the fabric give way and tear. The sound reverberated in my room and his nostrils flared as I pulled the strips of fabric away and looked at his upper body.

His jeans were slung low and his hips were actually exposed. Every surface was covered in some kind of scar. Bites, gashes, wounds from long ago. He had places where he had been torn apart like mine. I reached forward and touched the scar where his body had been torn in half.

He gasped when my hand touched his skin. An electricity that I had felt earlier when I picked him up off the floor, repeated itself and multiplied as I kept my hand on his skin. I wanted to moan it felt so tempting. Something that felt so good had to be wrong.

I removed my hand from his body to keep myself from grabbing him and throwing him down on the floor removing all of his clothes. I needed someone to ask what all of these feelings I have were, but there was no one here I could talk to.

Peter. Sixth sense. He knows something. He brought him here.

"How do you know Peter?"

He turned to where I stood and looked me in the eyes. His eyes had been an orange-red color but had turned black. He wasn't projecting but whatever he was feeling had him altered. I stepped back quickly, putting myself on the defensive, ready for the attack. Maybe he had been sent by the Cullens to kill me. Maybe the burn in my chest was because he was fated to kill me?

His voice dropped to a deep low level. "Why do you want to talk to Peter?"

"I want to ask him some questions." He had a dark edge to his personality and I jutted my chin in the air. I was feeling petulant. If it had been anyone of the other Cullens put in my charge, I would have put them in their place. They would be scrubbing the floors and washing windows. Maybe for the first time ever I would be rid of the dust that will never leave.

He sighed and looked down. "Maria turned him in 1912. We fought in the Southern Vampire Wars together. Charlotte was turned in 1938. They ran away together in 1939 and came back for me in 1944. He is, in every way that matters and can matter in this life, my brother." He said it so low that I had to step closer to hear him. My body was so close I could feel the electric current sizzle under my skin. I stepped back.

"Thank you. I'll be back soon."

He reached out and grabbed my arm as I started to head towards the door. "Please don't go." Electricity jolted through my system but his actions had me on the defensive again and I flipped him backwards to laying on his back. He did not fight back, merely held his hands up in a submissive position. I liked him like that. I wanted to lick his stomach all the way up to his neck and I wanted the electricity running through my body to be everywhere.

"Don't touch me." I said harshly. He flinched.

"You don't want to go and talk to Peter smelling like a human's whore, do you?" Embarrassment and anger flooded me. I can't believe he called me out on that. I did need to bathe, but I didn't expect any kind of comment to come from him. I watched his face for some kind of amusement, to see if he was joking in some way, but he was not.

"Fine." I finally admitted; if he could smell it and say it out loud, then everyone here was probably thinking it. I stomped over to my bath and started the water to heat it. "Do you know how to work this?" I asked him.

"Yes." He stood again, eyes cast down. Even though he tried to hide it, I could see the small smile that curved on his lips. It just irritated me more, and I wanted to smack his face.

"Fine, get the water hot. Not lukewarm, hot. Let me know when it's ready."

He stood next to the water as it filled the tub and he started the fire to get it hot. I walked over to my clothes and picked out a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt. I didn't like showing my scars to anyone. They weren't earned in battle, they were doled out as punishment. Punishment and the sick pleasures of a dead man.

Memories that I didn't want to surface came to me and I growled, pulling out a shirt and setting them on the shelf I had next to my bath. I went over to the other side of the shelf and picked out a clean pair of underwear, socks and bra. The last to be picked out were my boots. I picked out something that Jasper would never expect me to have. Four inch high heeled boots, brown leather. Classy, yet sexy.

He wasn't watching me but I knew he could see everything I was doing from his peripheral vision. I left them there for him to see while he watched the water.

The front of my room was slightly out of sight from the tub so I walked over to it and leaned against the wall with my forehead leaning against it. I needed space from him. The air in my space was infused with his scent and the scents I had brought in to give me comfort. But there was no comfort in the way I was feeling right now, not with him in my room. My head is not in the right place when I'm around him. I wanted to cry I was so confused. I wanted to slap him I was so mad. And I wanted to throw him down and fuck his brains out. None of it made sense. I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. I heard him pour the first pot of water into my tub.

Soaking in the tub was going to feel good. I tried to imagine it but I could not possibly take a bath with Jasper in this room. How would I send him away when I really didn't want to?

I walked to the room where he was and turned my back to him as he poured the second pot of water into my tub. It held three so it would be ready soon. I unhooked my bra under my shirt and tried to muster enough courage to take it off. Even if I had my back to him, he would see my scars.

He didn't know how I received my scars, for all he knew I earned them in battle. Or I could have been training. But it was at the hands of a sadistic, evil, dead man. I survived, but I would never be the same. I would never have the pristine, smooth, alabaster skin I had when I laid in the sun with Jasmine that morning. I would never be flawless again. Obviously there could be beauty in them. Looking at him standing there without his shirt and watching the water, he was a vision a beauty. Would he see me the same way? If he stood there proudly displaying his, I could do this. I felt his burst of courage and encouragement. "Easy there Jasper." I wanted to chuckle, almost.

_Men. Always wanting to see someone naked._

I pulled my shirt up over my head and I heard him take in a deep breath. I hadn't even felt him move near me he was so quick until his hands were on my waist behind me. I stood frozen. Shame and worthlessness flooded me. "Never, Bella." He whispered as he leaned his head down and kissed a scar on my shoulder; one of the ones where they had pulled my arms from my body, electricity crackled where his lips touched. He went to his knees and kissed the one on my waist and I was almost hysterical with sadness. He pitied me. I wanted to crumble within myself. Instead of invoking passion; I invoked pity. That's me. Isabella Swan, the human who wanted to be a vampire but was denied only to be taken and turned, tortured, raped and forced to fight in a war. Scarred and broken. Yeah that's me. And now I'm with the person I've longed to be near and all I have is his pity. Not his love, not his passion. Pity.

I stepped forward, trying to keep my cries in my throat, pulling my shirt back over my head, sans bra. I had to get out of here now. I couldn't be here with him.

He was still on knees when I flew out the door. I ran at a pace unnatural for the interior corridors of the compound, finding their quarters quickly; I knocked as softly on the door as my body would allow. Peter and Charlotte answered with smiles on their faces side by side. No words.

He just motioned for me to come inside.

I had a million questions bubbling at the surface and about a hundred more as secondary questions. I wanted to blurt them all out at once, but didn't even know where to start.

"It's ok Isa." He said. "You're going to be fine."

FINE? How could he say I was going to be fine? My body is on fire, my chest hurts and Jasper is causing me to lose my mind. "What's wrong with me?'

He leaned in closely and whispered. "Is there something really wrong? Does it feel good or bad?"

"It feels wrong and scandalous and burlesque. I want to smack him, kiss him and yell at him all at the same time." I looked at him closer and hardened my features. Damn beautiful vampires. "Why did you bring him here?"

"He was looking for you."

"Why?"

"Did you ask him?"

"No. I can't talk to him. He makes me feel things I don't understand. Things I don't want to feel and I can't think straight." He sat and looked at me with a smile on his face; giving me no answers. "What's with the electric current when we touch?" I asked so low, both of them had to lean forward to hear what I had said.

Charlotte leaned in and whispered for only us to hear. "It's the mating pull."

Jasper? My mate? Wasn't he supposed to be like a brother? Ooh, that sounded about a hundred kinds of wrong. The shock went throughout my system as I'm sure it went across my face. They both chuckled at me.

I stood numbly and started to walk towards the door. I really didn't know what to do with this information. I was told as a human that Edward was my mate, but I don't ever remember it feeling like this. For Edward, it was a longing to be with him, a grand fondness. This, this thing I had with Jasper; it was painful to be away. I wanted the electric current to run along my skin and I wanted the fire in my chest to stop.

Charlotte stepped up to open the door, letting me mindlessly walk out. She leaned out and smiled at me as I turned around. "Have fun with it." She winked and was pulled back inside with a shrieking laugh and the door abruptly shut.

The shock to my system was too great. I felt as if I could not function properly. I stood in the hall for a few moments trying to get my mind back in gear. It would not engage and I did not want the turmoil that I knew would be coming to start. I ran to my room and tried to process nothing. Standing outside I didn't know what to say to the man on the other side of the door. I couldn't, I was stuck. There was no more thinking to be done right now. I needed to get this human scent off my body.

I opened the door to find him standing next to the pot of boiling water, keeping the tub rolling in steam. He watched me as I walked over and stripped my clothing off, not letting my embarrassment take over as I stepped up the steps and slid down in the tub.

I let the hot water scald my skin. It felt like heaven and hell all at once. His eyes roamed over my skin and they felt as hot as the water. I leaned back and relaxed trying to remember how it felt as a human to let heat relax my muscles when they were tense.

He stood in front of me, adding the last of the water to the tub. I watched him as his body lifted the pot and poured the water gently into the tub. His muscles flexing across his chest and his arms as he held the pot at the right angle. Once emptied, he turned it upside down to make sure he had every drop out of the pot and lifted it just enough to where I could see the ripple of the muscles of his stomach,

A low growl came from deep within me, involuntarily; he mirrored the sound. He stepped back and set the pot to the side and snuffed out the fire. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back to the pillow affixed to the side of the tub. To really relax I extended my legs to where they laid on the other side on the footrest I had put in last month when I resurfaced the porcelain. I could hear him doing something behind me and he approached slowly so as to not startle me.

He was within a couple of centimeters of my ear when he whispered. "May I?" I looked up to see that he held my loofah and a bottle of body wash.

My nerves and desire increased then multiplied, but I wanted it. "Yes." Was all I could say.

I smelled the fuschia wash when he opened the bottle and poured it onto the sponge. He gently squeezed the bottle and put soap on his hand as well. He leaned down and ran his hand along my neck first. I leaned back letting the sensations of him touching me really sink in. I relished in the electrical sizzle that roasted my skin. I moaned out loud, hearing his low growl turn into a loud purr.

The loofah followed the path his hand blazed. He moved from my neck to the delicate skin under my arms, down them and back up. In a teasingly slow path he went between my breasts and down to my stomach, letting it come up to cup my breast letting his thumb glide across my nipple feeling it harden. The sensations were too much and I resisted the inclination to squirm. I felt his other hand come up and cup my other breast as his other thumb gave it the same treatment. I bit my lip trying to keep my noises in. I could feel my arousal as it gushed from my pussy into the water. I pulled my legs closer together, rubbing my thighs together.

He let my breasts go and walked to the end of the tub, grabbing the floating loofah and started working on my right leg. He lifted my foot causing water to rush between my legs and washing up my leg, getting as far up as to graze my lips. I let out some kind of strangled noise and let my eyes fly open to watch him as he picked up my left foot, caressing and washing away all the days running, letting the suds slide down into the now cloudy and soapy water. He made eye contact with me as he slid his hands up my legs caressing slowly in small circles. He let go of the loofah and slid his hand to my ass lifting me slightly as his other hand grazed the outside of my lips causing me to take a sharp intake of breath. He grinned widely and stood.

I slid down in the water to douse my hair and reached for the bottle and started to lather it before I became a combustible fireball. The lust flying around in the room was enough to affect the entire compound.

He came over and massaged the shampoo into my scalp. He grabbed the pot and dunked it into the water to rinse my hair as I grabbed the bottle to condition my hair. I slather it in and he rinsed it before it probably even worked into the fibers of my hair. He reached his hand into the water lacing his fingers in mine and pulled me up and stepping out of the tub. He wrapped a towel around my body and another on my head before he grabbed a smaller one to dry the areas exposed to the air. He made frequent eye contact, but showed no emotion. Since he was finally only using the towels to touch me. I no longer felt the electricity that had been running along my skin and I felt my lust and desire finally fall a notch. I expelled a breath but upon my intake, his scent filled my nostrils and I felt dizzy with desire again.

I stood back and watched as he retreated and stood watching me. I reached up and toweled my hair letting it fall, just as that towel hit the floor I let the other drop. I stood trying to see if the look of pity I felt from before went across his face and all I could see was desire. All I could feel was desire. I raised my hand and gave him the come here finger and pointed in front of me.

I wanted to hate him. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to ask him a million questions. But right now, I just wanted him.

I had to have it verbalized, I needed to make sure and in my softest voice I whispered. "Do you want me?"

He nodded his head before I could finish the sentence. I stepped forward and pressed my chest against his bare chest feeling the electrical sensations on every piece of flesh we had connected. I let my hands ghost to his ass and pulled him against me; he was hard, really hard. I ground my mound into his erection eliciting a growl from him.

I stepped back and he unbuttoned his jeans, letting them fall to the floor as he toed off his boots. He stepped out of them and stood before me, gloriously naked. His cock stood tall and his eyes were black. His hair was disheveled and he let his arms fall to his sides as he let me take him all in. Scars covered his torso as well as his thighs, they almost glowed in the light of the day as it was now. They shimmered in the light slightly, showing me a former warrior's badges of honor. I stepped forward and licked a particularly deep scar on his chest, knowing that the bite was painful when he received it.

The low purr that came from his chest caused the electricity to multiply again. My arousal hit the air just as his mouth came down and I pulled him into a kiss. I pulled him hard to my face, our tongues warring for dominance, moaning as we kept the kiss going and letting our mouths break apart and move to another place, leaving a trail of flames on my skin. I couldn't take the standing anymore and I pushed him, causing him to trip slightly and then he kneeled towards the floor. "You can just tell me what you wh-" I put my finger to his mouth and he stopped talking.

"I don't want to talk Jasper." I could feel my eyes darken as I watched his body kneeling on the floor and I sunk to the same position. I wrapped my hand around his cock as he gasped a breath and I leaned in to kiss his mouth that hung open. He hungrily feasted on my mouth, letting the venom in our mouths mingle and fry with passion.

He began to push me back and I let him. I leaned back on my rear and spread my legs as he started to run his hands down my body. I caught them as I pulled him down taking his hands in mine and pulling them over my head stretching his body across mine. My eyes closed with the newfound sensitivity; electrical sensation from head to toe. His hard cock resting at the apex of my thighs, but not making the contact I wanted. I spread my legs further, tilted my pelvis and leaned my head back slightly. The tip of his cock was at my entrance and he pushed in just a bit and stopped, holding his body still. I could feel my body tense as he stopped. I wanted this, I wanted him. Why was he stopping?

My eyes flew open to meet his as he thrust into me, filling me and making me feel like I was being speared from within. The electricity was more than current at this point; it was like a lightning storm that hit a power station.

_Sizzle, fry, pop, crackle, thunder._

Hard, fast, feral, venom dripping from my mouth, my orgasm hit me so hard. I cried out and thrust my hips up to meet his. He was holding back his orgasm as he thrust. My eyes kept closing without my permission but each time I would open them to meet his, he would thrust harder and faster until we were near combustion levels.

He watched my eyes as he lowered his mouth to my shoulder and I felt his teeth as they touched my skin. I stared at him as he sunk his teeth into my flesh, feeling the sting of his venom as his cock speared my pussy with enough force that the floor started to crack. Without thought, instinct turned my head and sunk my teeth into his shoulder as my third orgasm slammed into me, harder than I had ever felt before.

_Bliss, pure pleasure. MINE. _

Time stopped and was held suspended in the air for a few seconds.

I could not disengage my teeth from his shoulder. He had pulled his from my flesh and was licking it as best he could. The sting of his venom only made this moment sweeter. I took a cleansing breath and willed my body to comply with my mental demands. Slowly my jaw unclenched and released his shoulder. He flinched slightly when I finally was able to release him. As I saw the venom seep from the wound I had carved in his flesh, I licked it and heard his intake of breath from clenched teeth.

We lay on the floor like this for a few moments until the silence became uncomfortable. I had so much to say an hour ago, but now I could not say a thing.

He started to get up and I pulled him back down, flipping him on his back as I laid stretched out on top of him. I looked down at his face, he looked as scared as I felt. I laid my head on his chest wanting to find comfort but knowing that there was no comfort to be found. There wasn't really anyone to trust. He had already left me once, had already escaped Maria. How long until he decided to leave again?

"What are you afraid of?" He whispered softly.

"You." I stood and walked over to the tub that had cooled. I smelled like sex and my quarters reeked of it. I stepped up and slid into the lukewarm water while he lay on the floor, beautifully naked, arm across his eyes. I didn't want to look in his eyes right now anyway, I just needed to feel normal for a few minutes.

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><p><strong>AN: Merry Christmas Folks! Ok, so it finally happened yeah? That's my gift to you! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Now the bad news…. Gonna go on a break for a bit. I'm in accounting and year end, beginning of the year and all the fun that goes with numbers comes my way when the year begins….so I can't even promise to post once a month but I'll try.**

**If you have the time, leave me some love. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and I'll talk to you soon! You know the drill. Love you all! Vic**


	17. Chapter 17

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Forgive me, no beta - pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 17**

_Aceptación_

_Acceptance_

**JPOV**

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><p>I laid on the floor after the most intense sexual encounter of my life frightened that she would run out the door again. When she looked me in the eye I contemplated asking Bella a hundred questions but didn't know where to start. Sex and venom lingered in the air and I could do nothing but enjoy what we made. She laid her head on my chest and I could feel her emotions spike. She held great fear, they mounted and grew.<p>

"What are you afraid of?" I had to ask. If her emotions became any stronger I would start trembling. People who I sent fear to didn't feel this kind of intensity.

"You." Was all she said. She lifted off of me and as she stood my arm moved up to cover my eyes. I peeked out from under my arm and watched Bella walk back to the tub area.

I heard Bella slip into the water and rinse her body quickly, grabbing a towel and drying. I didn't want to get up, I wanted her to join me back on this floor and let me hold her. I wanted our skin to touch everywhere possible and let the sensation wash over me, repeatedly. How she could be afraid of me when I had been nothing but submissive? She was still a newborn vampire. Although it was evident that she wasn't fresh from the burn, her roller coaster of emotions kept me from just making her sit down and listen to me.

Because what just happened; was a mate claiming a mate. There was no denying the fact that we were a mated pair now. So many things made sense after experiencing my own claiming.

More than a century of watching couples finding their bliss, finding their star in a sky of blackness, finding the one person in the world that made you belong. All along, it was Bella Swan. Yet her emotions told me that she wanted nothing more than to run, to hide and overwhelming fear.

"Why are you afraid of me?"

I heard the rustling of clothes and removed my arm from my eyes as I sat up. Bella froze in mid dress looking at me with a sad smile. Turning her head away, she finished pulling on her jeans and reached for her shirt. Dark brown silk rustled as she pulled it over her skin and then tucked it into her pants. She looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

"How long until you leave again?" That I wasn't expecting

The last thing she pulled out was a pair of supple brown leather boots, four inch heels, something the old Bella Swan would have scoffed at and laughed as she tossed them in the trash.

Not making eye contact with me she sat down on the cot, slipped the boots on and zipped them up the side. Pulling her jeans down over the shaft with a rough tug and stood. I'm sure I looked like a school boy who had seen his first love walking in a classroom, but seeing her as a vampire I wasn't fully adjusted. In my mind I had tried to imagine it over the past few months, but being here; there is nothing I could compare her to.

She steeled her features and shut her emotions down. I tried to concentrate on getting past her hard outer shell but I could not. It was as if she knew how to keep me from feeling her.

"Why do you think I'm going to leave?"

"Before we play twenty questions, please get dressed." She said in a huff.

"Why?" Which is the same reason I wouldn't be having many conversations with her naked, but I still wanted to ask.

She waved her hand indicating my nakedness. "You're just too distracting like that." She turned her head looking me over with hooded eyes. I could feel her eyes roam my body and I wanted to flex something, do something, impress her. I wanted her to want me, not just need me.

The fact that she asked me if I wanted her was confirmation enough to know that she needed reassurances; her fear of me leaving her again will be harder to deal with. I would do everything in my power to make Bella happy.

I silently walked over and picked up my jeans but they were badly damaged from my altercation with Carlos and I needed something to wear. I walked to the back of the room and picked up a pair of my old pants. They were rough but durable. I slipped them on, feeling very un-nostalgic as I tied the belt around my waist and reached for one of the white T-shirts. For good measure I grabbed the boots and walked back into the room where Bella was next to the desk looking at her broken chair.

When I rounded the corner she looked over my clothing, smiled and crossed her arms. She cocked her head to the side and then broke out in a full smile.

I looked down at the clothing. It was in better shape than I thought it would be. I held my hands out as I watched her looking me over. "What?" I asked as she stood and stared at me.

"I've looked at those clothes and boots for months trying to imagine you in them. I've just decided that my imagination sucks." She laughed.

I sat down on the cot, heard the wood creak and laced up the boots feeling the leather give way to my feet. Boots like this weren't made anymore. These were custom made for me; a gift from Maria. My smile faltered upon thinking of how I earned such a gift, it wasn't meant for this occasion.

"Why does your imagination suck?" I tried to keep Bella in conversation. She was perfectly comfortable in silence, no words, no emotions; she could be the null void. She could do that as a human, but she was much better at it as a vampire.

"My human memories of you were altered. I couldn't possibly do you justice. I will try harder the next time I try to imagine you wearing something." She winked before she turned back to the chair she had been looking at; picking up pieces and matching them up.

"I understand. I'm guilty of the same." Her head snapped to stare at me and her eyes narrowed slightly. She set the wood aside and crossed her arms again leaning back against the desk. She didn't say anything, she just stared me down. The wheels were spinning in her head as her thoughts rolled around making her contemplative. She was like a spooked animal; I never knew how she was going to react. Would she come out with weapons drawn or run for her life?

I wanted to say so much, but I'm not sure that I could really provide any reassurances to her, not now. It's going to take a long time to get her to listen to me, to really hear me. Her emotions leaked slowly to me, her guard slipping slightly. She was hurt and curious.

"Talk to me Bella." I whispered softly. She walked quickly over to sit next to me on the cot, sitting without noise but her nerves spiked, before she clasped her hands and rocked slightly.

"Did anyone come looking for me?" I knew she was talking about the Cullens, but she had to know that there were people that loved her.

"Yes, your dad and some of the Quileute Indian Tribe organized search parties and found the wreckage of your car. They found a body and burnt body parts. You were declared dead."

She stared at the wall, her heart sinking, her emotions heavy and sad. "Did Carlisle get my text?"

I was surprised that she had such clear human memories. "Yes he did."

She turned to look at me, her mood turning dark. "I assumed that my dad and the wolves would come looking for me. The wolves should have found out something. Did you talk to them?"

"Edward made some calls to people in Forks."

"Edward." She stared into my eyes looking for answers, I didn't have the ones she wanted to hear, venom gathering in her eyes. "Just Edward? Alice didn't see anything? Carlisle didn't help? Esme? Emmett? You?"

"Alice said that she couldn't see anything other than you and your friend riding in your car. It was forecasted to be sunny in Texas for the next month straight." I hung my head at my admittance. "I was in the basement."

She held up her hand, defeated and angered. "You know what? I don't want to know right now. If you decide to stick around long enough, we will have time for me to hear the entire story; but that isn't today."

I looked over and realized she planned on leaving and going somewhere today. I stood up to look at her and paced the floor. "Where are you going?"

"I need to get out of this room." She stood up and looked around the room. "Maria wants you to do 'bitch' things as she called them: straighten up, scrub, clear out the cobwebs, clean. Um yeah, have fun with that. Your room is the broom closet to the right." She turned and started to walk to the door.

Is she dismissing me? My mate? The woman I have been obsessing about for a year and a half now?

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Don't leave yet."

She had her hand on the door knob and stopped. She took a deep breath but didn't turn around. I didn't want to sound desperate but I just didn't know if I could be away from her right now. The thought of her leaving had my chest burning already.

She hung her head and I felt the dread come across the room, her hand never left the doorknob. "Jasper, I'm not stupid. I know what's going on. But I need time for me, time to figure this out. I didn't want this and I want to clear my head."

I felt like a desperate, lovesick schoolboy, but there was nothing I could do. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet." She turned the knob, walked out the door, turned and ran down the hallway.

I probably could not catch her. She was fast. Before our door closed the door across the hall opened and Jasmine rushed out, she stopped long enough to see me and then fled down the hallway to follow Bella.

The door swung closed and I was alone in her quarters again. The burning in my chest was only manageable because I could still feel where Bella was. She was at the training center. The good part was I could still feel her, the bad part was that she was feeling very lost. I wanted to run to her, I wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be ok, but we both knew that was a slim likelihood.

Not with Maria in charge.

I tried to keep myself busy getting my clothing together. I didn't want to constantly be focused on her emotional status, but it was proving difficult. I really wanted to try and give her the privacy she wanted. I needed to give her time. I could be patient; I would give her all the time she needed.

This is an all new Bella Swan. Senator Isa. And I had been designated as her minion. How ironic.

I walked out into the hallway to find the broom closet that Maria had designated as my new quarters. I opened the door to find that this was the old escape door. I hadn't thought about it when she said broom closet, there wasn't always a door on the outside of the ingress. It was odd that Bella had not been shown that this was an escape. There were brooms and cleaning supplies strewn in the five by five space, but in the back was a built-in bookshelf with various supplies stacked on the wooden shelves. There was a grab spot on the side, feeling the familiar give from years ago, I pulled the shelf and it swung open easily.

The corridor behind the bookshelf had not been used in a long long time. There was virtually no light and from the amount that I could see, it was filled with cobwebs. Remembering that about 100 feet into the corridor there was an opening or a room of sorts. We used it as a storage room for newborn clothing and spare furniture, plus it had direct access to the back of the compound, spilling out into the desert without preamble. I walked into the corridor moving the cobwebs out of the way. It had been such a long time; I walked slowly thinking of this place in years past.

There were always people coming and going. Newborns, armies, torture, evil, pure evil. I didn't want to think about this compound and my memories, there was so little that I could hold onto and not cringe. I didn't always think I had it so bad, but once I was gone, then I knew. I knew how bad it was. Like the cobwebs in this hallway, they were in my face. Constantly reminding me of the life I led, the changes I made, and now here I am back to where I started. My memories could never go away, never remembered out of fondness, they were my recurrent nightmares. I wandered in memories that I didn't want to think about, but came in constant replay of the horrors I witnessed and created. I was here for Bella and I wasn't prepared for the onslaught of memories that would flood me with each hallway and passage in this hellhole.

I stopped moving when I realized that Maria was just around the corner, in the storage cubby. She had been controlling her emotional status almost as if she had calculated what I could detect and what I couldn't.

"Hello lover." Came her voice in a low purr.

"Hello Maria." I said cautiously as I approached the bend. I could smell her arousal in the air. If I had been capable of vomiting, I would have.

I was not prepared for the sight that was waiting for me as I turned the corner. There were electric candles placed on the table and I could see the flickering of the fake flames. Maria was trying to control her emotions as I walked down the hall, but when she saw me she released them, hitting me with a tsunami of raw lust.

My nostrils flared and I took in the sight of Maria, naked, laying spread eagle on a table with a sex toy buried in her, moving it in and out; jars of blood sitting next to her.

"I've been waiting for you." She said with a crooked grin.

She held the same urethral beauty, but she had taken the time to bathe herself in the lavender oil I use to get her. Her hair was down, laying in soft long waves that hung just past her shoulders. She wore lipstick of a dark burgundy that matched her eyes and the amount of desire that she was pouring in my direction had me shaking.

Oh god, I did not want this. My gift was being affected by Maria's lust and she has always been a master manipulator. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I tried to find Bella in the compound, tried to tie myself to her as my body went haywire. I wanted Bella, I wanted her here. She was still in the training room, feeling frustrated and angry.

I heard Maria move and opened my eyes to find her standing inches in front of me. "Take your clothes off or I will rip them off soldier." She smiled, but there was nothing happy in her smile. Complete predator, complete revenge seeping through her aura.

I stepped back. "No, I can not."

She reached forward and smacked me, her cunt juices all over her hands and now on my face. I took in a deep breath and wanted to scream from revulsion. I did not need this complication. Instead, I roared. She was so arrogant in her command

"On your knees." She ordered menacingly.

I had daydreamed of having Maria this vulnerable to me, her unguarded. I wanted to burn her alive and listen to her screams. I stood frozen where I stood, knowing that if I killed her now that the world would be a better place, knowing that so many people who have suffered would be avenged. But also knowing that I was standing in her compound and that if I killed her, her soldiers would surely kill me. My death meant nothing to me, but what would that do to Bella?

I fell to my knees, complying with her order but wanting to run; knowing that would only bring more grief. Maybe if she removed my head and put me in the hall of punishments it would give Bella the time she needed to accept me as her mate.

As I knelt, Maria lay back and spread her legs. Her essence filling the room, she started touching herself and making herself more aroused, making moaning sounds and masturbating; putting on a show that would make most human men die from orgasm.

She was revolting. Lust was pouring from her. I stayed on my knees and watched as she moaned and fucked herself with her fingers. Pulling on her nipples and thrusting her fingers into her body; creating a porn worthy display.

"Lick me, make me cum." She whimpered. I was trapped by the emotions of desire, lust, need, revenge, and pure dominance that she radiated. My gift made me weak, weather it is because she was my sire or she held a gift that I could not define, I could not shut her out completely. Every time I stopped her onslaught, it would hit me again.

That's when I heard them, feet hitting the floor, fast. Two sets, then two more sets, then two more.

Bella was the first one into the escape closet and running down the hallway, she ran at full speed stopping abruptly when she saw me on my knees in front of a spread out and masturbating Maria. Her completely naked and me, shaking and angry with my cock hard. I stood and backed away but it was too late.

Her eyes combed over us and I felt the anguish before I saw it cross her face. She steeled her features and shut her emotions down again, hard, cold and hostile. Her nostrils flared and she looked at the table, where Maria's sex toys laid.

The crowd that was behind Bella flowed into the space, making me feel claustrophobic.

"Maria, get yourself under control." Peter barked. Charlotte stepped beside scoffing and shaking her head.

Maria's eyes flew open and she looked at me and then Peter and then the other two men in the room who had followed Bella in. She scanned the room in a moment of embarrassment.

"Ronald, take me to my quarters." The blonde vampire quickly swooped her off the ground and down the corridor quickly. Leaving me standing there looking at Bella while she seethed.

"I didn't do anything." I said matter of factly. "She was just here when I came into the escape route."

"That's just fantastic. Fucking fantastic. Really really fucking damn fantastic!" She ranted. "You just happened to walk up on a masturbating vampire." She approached me to slap me when her nostrils flared and her eyes went wide. "And you have her pussy juice on your face."

"She sl-" Bella hit me with her fist so hard that I think she tore part of my jaw bone off. I tried to talk but words did not come out properly. "Smee swaff mhee"

"Shut the fuck up, Ok? I really don't want to hear a fucking word that comes out of your mouth. Just stay the hell away from me. Stay out of my room." I started to say something to reach for her, but she turned and ran back down the hall.

Peter, Charlotte and Carlos stood there watching our exchange in silence. Charlotte was angry; she walked up and hit my arm, hard. I heard the bone break then she rushed down the hall after Bella.

Peter stood and shook his head, walking up and patting me on the back and Carlos was very confused.

"You need to go wash your face my man, and then go grovel at her feet." He looked at Carlos feeling very undecided. "They're mated if you didn't figure it out."

He stepped back surprised and shook his head. "You are mated to Isa?" I nodded my head because my jaw was so broken the words I said would not have made sense. "You fucked up." He laughed. He looked at Peter and then back to me. "She'll go to the training room." He looked at Peter seriously. "Is your mate Charlotte a good fighter?"

Peter's eyes widened and I could feel the fear he released. He didn't bother to answer him; he just bolted out the door. I was hot on his heels and Carlos was right behind us.

There was a shrieking sound coming from the room. The sound echoed from the walls and sounded like metal scratching the surface of porcelain tile. We ran through the compound towards the training ground and the source of the sound.

Bella stood in the middle of the training ring, looking like a Babylonian warrior, trying to get someone to step into the circle. Charlotte stood to the side, holding her shoulder, her shirt ripped. Garth stood to the side, jaw broken and irritation and anger directed at the goddess that stood alone.

"Carlos!" She screeched. He stepped into the ring and Bella charged him. She was so angry that her movements were accelerated, stronger, harder. It flowed through her system like adrenalin; she was graceful, beautiful and deadly.

Carlos took five slaps to the face and body before he fought back. He had tried to take only a defensive stance, but her movements were not spar-like, she was fighting. Fighting demons that battled in her mind; the demon that stood right here.

He fought with her, hitting her back when she advanced and kicking her when she got within reach. She jumped on his back and tried to twist off his arm and Carlos roared. He grabbed her by her hair and threw her down onto the ground, her body bouncing once before she stood and hissed at him again. My instincts battled within me, I wanted to throw Carlos out of the ring, I wanted to watch him crumble in fear, seeing with my eyes that he was a threat, but feeling him was different. He felt sorry for her and only wanted to help. His irritation would spike when she got one in on him, but for the most part he was calm, cool and controlled.

I stepped into the circle, knowing that I could never hurt her. When I entered, it momentarily distracted her and Carlos threw a punch at her shoulder, she retreated and turned her body, but not fast enough. It caused her to whip around and spin, landing with one hand on the ground and her legs sprawled in an animalistic fashion. Her eyes shifted from Carlos to me.

He started to charge her and she dropped to the ground, pulling his feet out from under him and hitting the ground. She rolled on top of him and straddled his waist grabbing his arms and twisting them so that if he moved, it would snap his wrists. He was shocked and a little afraid as were many of the people in the room.

He smiled at her and nodded. She released him and stood, he walked out of the ring.

She turned in challenge and hissed at me. The anger that flowed from her very being was under laced with hurt, embarrassment and worthlessness. My jaw hadn't healed enough to make a coherent word, but I sent her the most remorse I could manage. I fell to my knees and kept my hands up; it was the only way I knew to beg for her forgiveness.

"You're sorry?" She sneered. She walked up and smacked my face and then sniffed her hand. "How sorry, sorry that you licked her pussy? Or sorry that you got caught?"

I shook my head no, but the black eyed monster of jealousy was there. I wanted to be happy, I wanted to be overjoyed that she considered me hers, but I couldn't feel happy of her ownership because she thought I betrayed her.

I could only plead with my eyes, trying to let her know that I didn't do anything. She just stared me down, sending negative feelings at me in waves.

_Jealousy, anger, worthlessness, hurt._

My jaw hurt but I had to try and tell her, she really thought I had slept with Maria. "My dibfiint dfoo anyfing. My sweamrf." I finally got out.

I should have expected it, I should have been prepared but I thought she was going to slap me again. She stalked towards me and as I tightened my jaw waiting for the slap to come, hurting my jaw again. She flew through the air like an angel of death, her arm flying in an unfamiliar pattern hitting me in the back of my neck, she then grabbed my arms, pinning them behind my back.

I heard clapping from the other side of the room. One person. One set of clapping.

I could not turn my head, I could not move my arms, and I could not feel anyone in the room. She had broken my neck. I could feel my body trying to repair itself, trying to mend, but with my arms pinned behind me, it was unable to do so. The pain ripped at my soul.

"Flawlessly executed Isa." I heard Maria say. "I was expecting more fight from him than that, but it's of no matter."

My jaw hung open, broken. I couldn't move my neck or arm so I looked around for her to approach. Bella stood behind me, breathing heavy as if she had exerted herself, but I'm sure it was from the war within, if I could feel her emotions, I'm sure it would be seething anger.

As Maria rushed towards me, Bella released my arms and threw me face first into the ground. I laid with my face in the dirt and Maria laughed for a moment before Bella crouched over me. I could see her feet and legs as she blocked Maria's path. My neck was mending fast and it was painful, I wanted to cry out, but that would only hurt Bella and satisfy Maria, neither of which I wanted.

"Isa, it's time to step aside. He disobeyed a direct order. I'm sending him to the hall of punishments." Bella did not move, I couldn't see what she was doing.

"What was the order he disobeyed?" She asked in a menacing tone.

"That is of no consequence to you. I give orders here, its best you learn your place. Now stand aside, he goes to the hall of punishments. It's a pity Stephan isn't here anymore, he always punished exactly as I directed."

Bella let out a roar that shook the walls and then a screech that made the hair stand on my scalp. The last of my neck healed at that moment and I once again had control of my limbs. Everyone's emotions slammed into me and I crawled back and jumped to a standing position. Bella's anger and hatred swelled and bubbled, poured into me and soon I was shaking with the same amount of black evil.

"Your orders?" Bella growled between clenched teeth. "You ordered the hall of punishments?"

Maria threw her head back and cackled. "Of course they were my orders stupid. Nothing happens around here without my say so." Then stopped, looking at Bella with a blank stare on her face, then laughed again, but softer this time. The emotions in the room swirled and became overwhelming, my knees wanted to buckle from the swarm of overwhelming confusion that was coming from every direction. From every vampire in the room except for Bella.

Bella was still feeling the hatred and it was boiling, but a small amount of vengefulness was coming from her when she whispered. "Everything? Are you sure about that?" She stepped back and stood next to me.

Maria's eyes focused on Bella and then back to me, then back on Bella. Soon her eyes were going to each of us so fast that she looked deranged. She was losing her mind bit by bit and I could feel it all.

"Yes. Take him to the punishment hall and wait for me." She turned and started to walk away.

"No." Was Bella's simple answer.

"Que?" Maria turned on Bella and crouched for attack. "You dare to challenge my order?'

"I will not send him to the hall of punishments." Bella crouched.

"Senator Isa, you will do exactly as I say, or both of you will mingle your venom there." She sniffed the air and a disgusted frown crossed her face. "Although I see that you have already done that in a different manner."

"Like you didn't try." Bella quipped back with sarcasm.

Maria roared in rage and began to charge. Bella side stepped her charge and smacked her on the back of the head causing Maria to fall forward before rolling and landing back on her feet with her eyes squinted, calculating her next move a little more carefully. I felt the crowd's shock before they started to crouch in anticipation of the fight. I could feel the defensiveness building in the room, almost cheering them on. But who were they rooting for and who were the other vampires in this room ready to defend?

Bella met Maria head on, dolling out slaps and hits and punches, moving fast. Bella was magnificent, she was fast, precise, a warrior, my mate. She was playing with Maria. Her training must have been intense and Maria although a leader, was handicapped against a newborn warrior who held the control that Bella had.

Maria's anger spiked and she stopped fighting, letting Bella get in her jabs, her slaps all the while watching her, waiting for her moment when she could subdue her. She threw a well calculated punch that sent Bella flying a few feet. She had anticipated it but it made contact nonetheless and Bella turned and showed a large falsely happy smile.

Bella ran across the room only to charge back at Maria when I heard the familiar sound of a neck breaking and saw Maria on the ground with her arms pinned behind her back.

Shock flooded the room as Bella roared. Anguish flowed from her; she kept hold of Maria's arms as knelt and whispered at a level too low for anyone to hear.

Maria's eyes went wide and Bella smiled. She whispered more as she looked me in the eyes. Mischievousness and maliciousness crossing her face as she let Maria's arms go and before she could hit the ground, Bella backhanded her. The bones in her face broke as her body limply flopped backwards landing with a thud and dust flew as her body landed in the dirt.

She looked around the room and then back at me. "I think it's time for us to leave, mate."

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I know. Sorry I've been gone so long. <strong>

**I hope to post again in a week, but the chapters will be a little shorter.**

**Leave me some love – you know I love you too! -Vic**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 18**

_La destrucción de los corruptos_

_Destruction of the corrupt_

**MPOV (Just because you weren't expecting it this soon!)**

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><p>Laying in my quarters recovering from the disabling injury Bella inflicted on me as my army watched in fascination played in my mind.<p>

This day had not gone as planned.

My home lay in rubble, most everything destroyed. Damnit.

I had it planned out well.

I waited in the hall for him come. I knew that Isa needed a release and I knew that she would take it with him. He was a magnificent vampire. He could service us well. It was time for him to be back in my charge. Only I could command him properly. It had been so long.

_Jasper, The Major, my soldier, he should have been mine._

I knew that Bella thought that she owned him; I would have never expected these results.

_I owned her._

He had dared to abandon me, disobeying an order. Deserting. I wanted him to pay. One service at a time. I believed the ghost from her past could tie her here.

I had so many plans, I was going to seduce him, make him service me. I wanted to punish him first, but it was easier to satisfy my hungers, then punish. I watched as he entered, approached and defied me as a spectator in my own mind.

It all went bad so fast. He was with me and then the room was full, Ronald removed me from the situation and I recovered from my embarrassment.

When I entered the training room and found The Major on the floor with a broken neck, Bella holding him down, I thought she was ready to hand out the punishments in a manner befitting of Stephan.

_She was learning._

Stephan; that is another matter altogether different. He was an evil minion, even more evil than I had imagined. But I couldn't hate him for becoming more evil than I had trained him. I just wish I had known that he held such a magnificent gift. We could have done much more. Maybe he told me and I had reacted badly, but I don't remember. But I remember other things. He liked sex with pain, lots of pain. Broken bones, venom, begging, submission. He followed orders, her serviced.

_I will miss him more now._

But Bella wasn't ready to punish Jasper for me. She was punishing him for herself.

She toyed with me. And my army stood back and watched, fascinated, entranced. She had me on the ground in a time that showed that she held more skill than originally thought.

"Never try to seduce Jasper again. Don't every think you can touch him, ever. Just think of all the wonderful memories that you and Stephan had. He loved to break you into pieces and fuck you dumb. Powerless, just laying there. Like you are now. I could kill you right this minute and no one would miss you. Hell, I bet a few of them would dance around your pyre."

She took great satisfaction in holding her information. Keeping her secrets. But laid it all out for me in black and white, using my own rules against me.

"He's my mate; you no longer hold any claim to either of us."

Her last blow to my face was unnecessary, but it only fuels the fire to my hatred.

Jasper will pay for this. Peter and Charlotte calculated this as well.

Peter does everything for a reason. He knew they were mates. Hell, they might have even known it. Playing everything since the meeting with Peter in Santa Fe in my mind, Peter was the mastermind in all of this.

They had packed up their belongings and took half of the team with them. Taking more deserters with them.

_Peter. Deserter. Cheater. Unfaithful. Mated._

I hate him more.

_The Major and Peter, burning. Purple smoke swirling in the air. Having Isa and Charlotte watching, crying out. Dismembered and seeping venom, tossing their parts in the pyre, smelling their death in little puffs. Nothing will make me happier than to kill them all._

They took Ronald and Carlos for sure. Everyone is gone. Roberto, Miguel, Helen, Roberto, Jasmine. Gone.

Garth is ever faithful; I knew he would be with me, but the fact that they broke his neck and left him to heal on top of me was adding insult to injury.

They will pay, soon.

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><p><strong>AN: (Did you hear the "Da-dum…" ?)<strong>

**Yeah, I know, short chapter. But I didn't want to mix with the next chapter. It's short too.**

**Leave me some love! -Vic**


	19. Chapter 19

_**Corruption of Destruction **_

**Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. The Twilight Saga and all characters involved are the property of Stephenie Meyer. If you want a larger disclaimer, refer back to the first chapter. **

**A/N: Pre-reader duskri123. **

**Chapter 19**

_Una vez que un niño, siempre un niño_

_Once a boy, always a boy_

**EPOV**

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><p>Moving day. Time to leave Chicago, my home. I will miss this place, but we've been here a few years and the neighbors are too curious. Jasper's murderous calamity created a precarious challenge for us. But we managed.<p>

The poor girl. Alice told us about him stalking her, luring her into the house. Sending her emotions to be compliant. Sick bastard. I'm sure he's gone back to his old ways.

From time to time Esme thinks about him, wondering how he's doing. When Rosalie and Emmet got home they were disappointed that they didn't get to tell him goodbye. I guess they just didn't understand how horrible the mess he made and the risk he put the whole Cullen family.

Alice has a new love interest. He's supposed to be located in New York and she has assured us all that this is the move we need to make. According to her plans, I need to go and work at a brokerage firm. There is a large sum of money to be made for my "clients" and we are expecting to at least quadruple our investments.

Her visions of her new love interest make me laugh. He's a fairly new vampire, less than 10 years born. He's the exact kind of partner she needs. Stylish, handsome, smart.

She doesn't see anyone for me yet, but she said there could be someone there that she just hasn't seen. I know she's joking with me most days that she doesn't have enough time to look for my mate; she's trying too hard to find her own.

I have to have faith that I will meet her someday. Carlisle assures me that there is someone for everyone and I'll know it when I meet her.

Dusk is approaching and we have finished packing up the last of our belongings, we will leave my childhood home for good. The next time we come back here it will be gone. Progress. I'm glad I had the chance to come back.

Rosalie came from the basement carrying a small box. She had a smile on her face and I could tell that it was something of Jaspers. She hid her smile quickly and put the box behind her back as she started singing a song in her head, trying to keep me out.

"What is it?" I ask with a note of sarcasm.

"None-ya," she smiles. I can see the box in her mind, but she changes her thought quickly. A game of cat and mouse.

_Silly girl. I always win this game._

The family files out of the house as dark closes in. Esme kisses me on the cheek. Giving me the time I need to bid farewell to this house.

I close my eyes and remember my father from my childhood, sitting on the porch smoking a pipe. My mother smoothing her skirts, my parents dancing to the record player. A new ball for my tenth birthday, playing stickball in the street with the other neighborhood children. It was so long ago, but the more I try the more I can remember.

I can smell my dad's coffee in the early morning, watching my mom drink her afternoon tea and reading a book, eating a cooking and giving me half.

I like to remember them when they were pink and healthy. Not my mom begging for her life, not my father stark and grey. Carlisle tries not to play them in his memory, but sometimes he slips when I'm around.

I breathe in deep and say goodbye to this old house, to the memories I could pull from my mind. I've even managed to take some art classes and capture some images of my parents. The image of my dad holding my mother close and dancing slowly was the clearest image I could grasp and my favorite.

I step off the porch and slide into my car, I can't hold in the smile as it crosses my face as I see Rosalie waiting for me at the end of the driveway.

_Game on._

We race on the back roads of Illinois as we tear out of the city, quickly crossing the border into Indiana. Ever since she bought the G-POWER M6 Hurricane CS BMW she challenges me to a race. Last year I bought the Noble M600 because of its top speed of 223 miles per hour and it has an engine designed by Volvo.

Within three minutes we're already in excess of 180 miles per hour. I can hear Alice laughing as they zip around cars with me hot on their tails. Emmet refused to be part of the festivities and drive his new jeep to New York, they left an hour ago but we'll be caught up to them in no time.

We have passed a police officer and before he could even realized what was coming we were past him but he was signaling on his radio that there were rich kids out racing their daddy's cars.

Kids.

I call Rose on her phone and tell her so that she can go to country roads before they set up roadblocks and she laughs at me. "Don't have what it takes Cullen to take a Beamer? I got ya with this one."

She pulls off on the next exit as she hangs up on me taking a corner at over ninety. Wow, that's actually pretty impressive. She's been making modifications. I lay the hammer down and can hear her taunting in her mind as Alice sings a song in her head so that I can't see the race's end. It's a happy song, that's not good.

Twice on these roads we've hit speeds over two-hundred miles per hour, but haven't tried to take them to the max, yet.

Every time I get close to passing Rose she just goes faster and I can't get one up on her. She takes the next turn series of turns at speeds that push these cars to the limit and I can hear Alice ask Rose what something is, watching her mind I can see that it's the box she brought up from the basement.

Alice goes into a vision of Jasper, he's running and she's trying to stop the vision but it continues to play in her mind. He's in a forest in the dead of night chasing other vampires, maybe 5 are with him. Someone calls to him and they are talking, it's muffled. He's talking to Peter his brother telling him that he was going to Kentucky where there was a place he knew. They agreed to meet up in a few months in Pennsylvania in one of their old hangouts. Alice continued to try and stop the image as it played without her permission. He reached over and grabbed a hand and kissed the wrist of a female vampire. His eyes followed the arm up to the face of Bella Swan.

My Bella.

Bella with red eyes.

A vampire Bella Swan.

With Jasper.

What has he done?

I slammed on the brakes as Alice stopped her vision finally. Rose stopped in the road up ahead while Alice filled her in on the vision that she had.

My Bella was a vampire.

And she was with him.

With _with_ him.

With red eyes, _red_.

Alice was knocking on my window trying to get my attention while the noise in my ears roared as the realization that Bella didn't really die in that car crash.

She faked her death.

I cleared the thunder in my mind as I opened the door and stepped out to a worried looking Alice. "What the hell is going on?" I look at her trying to gauge her thoughts.

"Bella is a vampire." She said in a choke. "And Jasper is with her."

She stood and stared at me with questions racing in her mind. She searched for Jasper again and it only showed him running and arriving at a cabin. Him directing other vampires I've never met to another place with instructions. He pulled Bella close to him and he kissed her. Alice stopped the vision, he mind screaming 'no, no, no, no' and then it faded to black.

Damn.

Alice's mind was murderously angry, replaying the visions of Bella's birthday party. Asking if it was a set-up? Asking if he knew then? Or was he just going for the forbidden fruit to make me mad?

I looked at Alice. "Bella is not my mate, we knew that."

"But, Jasper?" Alice asked angry.

And then just as if someone had flipped a switch. Alice turned it off. "It doesn't matter. Neither of them are part of the Cullens, let's go to our new place."

"But…"

"No buts Edward, it's time to go. We only have 6 hours until daylight and we need to get to New York if we don't want to hide in the forest all day."

"Race ya?" Rose called out.

_Game on._

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah yeah, short chapter…. And enough with the "other" updates… on with the story Vic…. I know. Next chapter is still in progress…. <strong>

**Leave me some love! -Vic**


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